


Numb My Skin

by Aleekae



Category: All For the Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AU, M/M, X-Men AU - Freeform, mentions of rape/abuse, no exy is involved, xmen au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 22:48:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7073635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleekae/pseuds/Aleekae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m from a school that specializes in teaching kids with certain… gifts,” the stranger said, motioning to Neil with the thin file he held in his hand.</p><p>It sounded rehearsed, and the gruff voice he used didn’t help to calm Neil. He was found out, he wasn’t being careful enough. He could almost feel his mother’s hands gripping his hair and thrashing him about, beating him for being an idiot. He should’ve used a lighter, he knew better. His fingers grazed his jeans pocket where he kept his fake driver’s license, a packet of cigarettes, and a pillbox. </p><p>(A Foxhole Court X-Men AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Neil froze as he came toe-to-toe with the heavy set man standing in the doorway of the classroom. He hadn’t expected to be found so easily and so soon after his mother’s death. His eyes raked up and down the man’s form, stopping minutely to catalogue the tribal tattoos on his arms and the white wife beater that barely concealed his threatening muscle mass.

Neil took a step backwards, the words _don’t stop running_ echoing through his head. “I don’t know you,” he said, keeping his stance loose. He was ready to run, silently mapping the route in his head that would get him far away from the stranger, Mr. Hernandez, Millport, far away from _Neil Josten_. 

“I called him,” Hernandez spoke up from behind Neil, trying hard to keep his voice nonthreatening, “Neil… I saw you light up a cigarette a couple nights ago. You didn’t use a lighter, and I know you didn’t think I was in front of the school at the time.”

“I’m from a school that specializes in teaching kids with certain… gifts,” the stranger said, motioning to Neil with the thin file he held in his hand, “we can help you learn how to control it. You’ll also be with other kids with the same or similar gifts that can help to teach you.” 

It sounded rehearsed, and the gruff voice he used didn’t help to calm Neil. He was found out, he wasn’t being careful enough. He could almost feel his mother’s hands gripping his hair and thrashing him about, beating him for being an idiot. He should’ve used a lighter, he knew better. His fingers grazed his jeans pocket where he kept his fake driver’s license, a packet of cigarettes, and a pillbox. 

“Neil,” Hernandez diverted his attention away from his pocket, “Professor Wymack here wants you to enroll at Palmetto School for the Gifted. Your fire… manipulation ability…” 

“Pyrokinesis,” Wymack supplied.

“Right, your… pyrokinesis can be controlled. You won’t have to hide it.” Hernandez looked pointedly at Neil’s hands. He wore a pair of black leather gloves, removed only when he washed his hands or had to dye his hair. Neil held back a laugh, he could feel it bubbling up in his throat and he knew that if he let it out it would sound hysterical. He knew that the gloves made him stand out, but ever since he was eight and had first touched someone ‘gifted,’ someone like him, and had felt that surge of power, his mom had dragged him to the nearest outlet mall and forced the gloves onto his hands with the strength of a woman who was consumed with all-encompassing fear. It was always easier for them to hide during the winter, when every child wandering the streets with their moms were wearing gloves, and not just the ones on the run from murderous fathers and ambitious gangsters.

The mention of Palmetto got Neil’s attention, however. Kevin Day was at Palmetto. Kevin, with his green eyes, dark hair, and his _natural_ pyrokinetic abilities. Neil thought back to when he and Kevin were both young and bright-eyed, when Neil’s father had decided that he would be more useful to him sold off to a mutant Yakuza group than as his successor. The Moriyama’s were willing to pay his father upwards of five million dollars for Neil, and all it took was for him to show off his abilities while sparring with Kevin and his brother Riko. 

The boys, although naïve about the true intentions of their relatives, had fun playing around with their ‘gifts’. Kevin would lob a fireball towards Neil and Neil would dodge and run up behind him, tackling him and trying to touch a part of his back for a lengthy amount of time before backing up and sending a stream of flames Kevin’s way. All the while, Riko would stand back and try to interfere by blinding them with his shadows. Neil never managed to get near enough to Riko to touch him, the looming darkness surrounding him was too threatening and too familiar to his father’s gaze.

The Moriyama’s were pleased with him, Neil’s father had said as he led him away from the training field and up to the scary tower that loomed above Edgar Allen, another ‘School for the Gifted’. However, before the money had reached his father’s pockets, his mother had snatched Neil in the middle of the night and they ran far away from the dark tower, his father, and Kevin.

“No.” Neil said, clear and concise. He draped his duffel bag over his shoulder in one smooth movement and pushed past Wymack into the classroom. He still hadn’t collected his backpack from his desk, having been distracted by Hernandez stopping him in the hallway just a moment ago.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden and hard punch to the stomach. It had come out of nowhere, and Neil doubled over in pain just inside the classroom door as Wymack shouted “ _Andrew!_ ”

Neil looked up from his position on the floor, curled into himself as he fought off nausea. A pair of hazel eyes found his, a neutral expression void of any emotion stared back at him.

"Oops, better luck next time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK guys - this started as a text to my roommate/best friend/cousin that was like 12 long ass paragraphs long. I posted the text conversation on tumblr and everyone wanted a fic for it so I'm trying my best :)
> 
> Also I haven't written anything that wasn't an essay/paper in like 8 years so pleeeeeaaaase bear with me! 
> 
> The title comes from Troye Sivan's song "Happy Little Pill"
> 
> Tags will be added as I go


	2. Chapter 2

“God dammit Andrew, this is why we can’t have nice things.” Wymack growled as he loomed over Neil’s crumpled body.

Andrew seemed unfazed. “I’m not sure how nice that thing is,” he retorted, his stare unwavering as Neil uncurled himself into a sitting position. He prodded at his stomach with his left hand as his right wiggled into his jeans pocket. He tried to keep his movements small, but he knew the blonde boy above him was watching every move he made with a calculating glare. 

Wymack sighed heavily, and reached down to help Neil up. As his tattooed arm came into Neil’s peripheral he couldn’t help but flinch away from the exposed skin. Never mind that he didn’t want to touch anyone, Wymack was around the same age as his father and, despite his calm demeanor, Neil didn’t trust him. At the first sign of a flinch, Wymack withdrew his hand.

“See? He’s clearly damaged goods.” Neil turned his attention back to Andrew and returned the remark with a scowl. He eventually got his legs under him and sauntered back to a standing position. As he did so, he slowly retracted his hand from his pocket, a small pillbox clutched in his palm and hidden from sight.

“Andrew, stop antagonizing new recruits.” A voice lectured from behind Neil. He whirled around, his body automatically assuming a fighting stance. He wasn’t prepared for who faced him, leaning against Neil’s desk without a care in the world and staring at him with those piercingly familiar green eyes. Neil took a cautious step back, alarm bells ringing in his head to _run run run_. 

He tightened his grip on the pillbox as he schooled his features to passive indifference. He hadn’t seen Kevin since that fateful day 8 years ago, when Neil waved a pair of scissors at him and asked “ _Please._ ” He ran a mental checklist through his head for the reasons why Kevin Day would be standing in front of him now, and the reason that scared him the most had him thumbing open the pillbox on reflex.

“Neil, this is Kevin. He has the pyrokinesis mutation… just like you.” Wymack said, coming into Neil’s range of sight and gesturing to Kevin. “It’s very rare that we see two mutants with the same ability, so I brought Kevin with me to help convince you to come to Palmetto.” 

Neil bit back a sour laugh. The very reason that he was resisting the school so much was because of Kevin. He forced himself to relax as he took in the information Wymack was providing. Kevin probably didn’t recognize him if he thought Neil actually had pyrokinesis. He slid the pillbox closed with his thumb, but kept it in his hand. If Andrew saw him take something out of his pocket, he wasn’t going to risk suspicion by slipping it back in just as slowly. 

“I can help you control it. Those gloves probably aren’t just a fashion statement.” Kevin said, nodding towards Neil’s covered hands.

Neil let out a breathy laugh. “Unfortunately the flames and I don’t get along,” he said, it wasn’t a complete lie after all. Whenever he ‘stole’ a mutation, by accident or on purpose, the power coursing through him was too unruly to contain in the short amount of time he had with it. The flames were the only ability that he had managed to control, if pointing and shooting in a general direction and hoping for the best counted as control. Add the fact that his mother would’ve beaten him silly if he had practiced his ability, and Neil was a walking powder keg filled to the brim with untrained power.

“So what’s stopping you from saying yes?” It was Mr. Hernandez this time, sidling up next to Wymack. Neil had almost forgotten that he was there, sidetracked by the amount of people and information being thrown at him.

Neil hesitated, “I need to ask my mom.” He could hear someone snort behind him, and would’ve levelled a glare at Andrew for laughing if he wasn’t already staring at Wymack in a silent challenge.

“You’re 18, your parents don’t have much of a say anymore now do they?” Wymack folded his arms across his chest, filled to the brim with confidence after knowing that he had won.

“I still value her input.” Neil shrugged, moving around Andrew to get to his backpack. It was leaning up against his desk where Kevin was still standing. He held his breath as he drew near, feeling the power Kevin held rolling off of his body like waves. The invisible flames licked and wavered as Neil approached, and he held back a flinch as one got a little too close to his face as he leaned down to grab the backpack. Kevin watched his movements, but didn’t appear even mildly suspicious as Neil retreated back to the classroom doorway. 

“I’ll send the paperwork and plane ticket to your house,” Wymack said, motioning to Andrew and Kevin to get a move on, “we’ll see you bright and early next Monday.”

Kevin nodded to Neil as he passed through the classroom door. Neil returned it, but held back a grimace as Andrew trailed after him, a small smile tugging on his otherwise expressionless face. The blonde gave him a two-fingered salute.

“Try not to hurt yourself too much before we get a hold of you, Neil.” His tone was mocking, but Neil could hear the silent threat. 

He watched from the doorway as they retreated down the hall, Hernandez behind him making abortive efforts of offering comfort. “I’m fine,” Neil said, probably a little too forcefully. He put his backpack on and made to leave.

“I’m sorry, Neil.” Hernandez sounded genuinely apologetic, and Neil gave him an apathetic glance in return. He didn’t blame Hernandez for reporting him, it was definitely his fault for using his powers in a public space. Neil just couldn’t handle the pity that was rolling off of his teacher in waves, it made him feel sick to his stomach and the all too familiar nausea from earlier came back just a little bit stronger than before. He waved at Hernandez as he walked down the hallway, ignoring the fact that this would probably be the last time they saw each other.

Neil rounded the corner of the hallway and broke out into a full-on sprint. The adrenaline and muscle usage was familiar, but he came to a stop quicker than his body wanted as he threw open the bathroom door and stumbled into the nearest stall. Puking was something his body did often, the aches and rolling stomach a common side effect of running too long or being in too much pain. He went through the motions of emptying the contents of his last meal, flushing the toilet, and washing his face and mouth in the bathroom sink. 

He leaned down and spat the last of the sour taste into the sink, and then stared up at his reflection. He tugged on his hair to check that the roots were still dyed black. His bangs were curling over his forehead now that he hadn’t gotten a haircut in at least three months, and his brown contacts made him nearly unrecognizable to even himself. He let out a sigh of relief. Kevin definitely didn’t recognize him, he was sure of it. 

He looked down at his duffel bag, slung over his shoulder. He could disappear that night, fetch a bus to the nearest truck stop and hitchhike his way to another part of the country, far away from Millport and far away from Neil Josten.

“You need to run.” He whispered to his reflection. He could hear his mother in his ear, shouting at him and asking why he wasn’t already halfway to his next city. He tasted sand in his mouth and heard the wind whipping across his frame, the acrid smell of smoke curling around his fists. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He knew himself well enough to know that he wasn’t running away from this, not from the chance of a lifetime to learn how to control his ability. Wymack seemed to know it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I wrote this while I was at work (don't write fanfiction at work kids, it's not good for your health) because I was too excited about you guys learning more about Neil...
> 
> what's in the pillbox, Neil? WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are loved by yours truly <3 Check me out on [tumblr](www.welliefox.tumblr.com)


	3. Chapter 3

Upstate Regional Airport was larger than most airports that Neil and his mother flew out of. Unless they were travelling internationally, they frequented the smaller under-five-terminals airports since they attracted less people. Neil preferred the small crowds, always afraid of brushing up against other people and hoping that they weren’t fellow mutants. His mother however preferred the anonymity that larger crowds offered, and would hold tightly onto Neil’s gloved hand as they waded through the throngs of people catching last minute flights and hugging missed relatives and loved ones.

Thinking about his mother had Neil itching for a cigarette, for the smell of smoke and burning embers. His need was interrupted as he approached Arrivals and saw who was waiting for him.

Andrew looked about the same as Neil had left him last Thursday, dressed in all black and sporting a pair of matching armbands that reached up to his elbows. His disinterested gaze was not on Neil this time however, but instead it landed on a dark-skinned stranger standing next to him. The man had medium-length, curling black hair that was pulled back in a haphazard bun, and his expression was open and unguarded, a smile plastered on his face that seemed perfectly situated. His build was soft, not too muscular but not a runner’s body either. He seemed almost too perfect, and Neil was taken back by the man’s beauty just as much as he was surprised that he noticed the man’s beauty. Neil doesn’t swing. He had spent one too many nights surviving his mother’s beatings to know that he should never, ever swing. Attractive men and women were dangerous, and Neil never allowed himself to touch let alone admire that attractiveness. 

“Wipe that expression off your face, his head is already big enough.” Andrew’s voice pulled him to the present. Neil shook himself mentally and told himself that he was tired from the flight. He finished crossing the distance it took to stand in front of the two men, fiddling with his duffel bag straps the entire way.

“Aww, Andrew, I’m offended!” The other man whined, his lip pouting in a way that was almost cute. The stranger turned his attention to Neil and gave him a genuine smile, “My name’s Nicky. I’m Andrew and Aaron’s cousin.” 

Neil nodded, the movement causing him to realize just how fuzzy his brain actually was. Nicky’s voice was soft and sounded like it could lull him to sleep right then and there. Andrew’s gruff response brought him out of his reverie once again, but his voice caught Neil even more off guard than Nicky’s had.

“Turn it off or I will turn it off for you.” Andrew growled at Nicky, but the language he used was German, not English. Neil had learned German when he and his mother hid in the country a couple of years ago. He had to learn the language practically overnight in order to fit in at the local high school. He could still remember his mother reciting names of animals and places while they laid next to each other in a hotel bed, Neil’s hand clutching a glock under the pillow as he repeated each word his mother said in a near-perfect accent.

“But Andrew, he’s really adorable!” Nicky whined again, but in German this time. Suddenly Neil found the noise a little grating, and not just because it was in a different language. Nicky offered him another smile, but it was crooked and definitely not as blinding as it had been before. Neil shook his head a little bit, and the dizziness cleared out just as quickly as it had moved in.

“Sorry, I have crazy overactive pheromones,” Nicky explained in English, tapping his forefinger against his temple, “luckily I can turn it on and off like a tap now, but I never know how much it’s going to affect someone. Usually with that much exposure people are all over me. I’m impressed.”

Neil shrugged, “I don’t swing.” He was confused at Nicky’s quick admission, used to having to hide his mutation from everyone. He was also concerned about his initial reactions to Nicky’s presence, but he vowed to remain continuously suspicious of the man and wrote him off as harmless. Finding someone attractive was the least of Neil’s worries, the only part of the exchange that made him even remotely concerned was the dizziness that the pheromones caused.

“Like… at all?” Nicky sounded extremely disappointed, but before he could ask anymore questions they both became aware that Andrew was halfway out the door and heading for the parking lot. Nicky and Neil ran to catch up with him.

Andrew ignored Nicky’s complaints of leaving them behind and they soon stopped alongside a decent looking car parked next to the curb. Although Neil knew nothing about makes and models, he figured the vehicle was worth more than half of what he kept hidden in his duffel bag. He folded himself into the backseat, rightly assuming that Nicky would take passenger and Andrew would drive. 

The drive to Palmetto was relatively quiet, save for Nicky’s constant tampering with the radio and the honking from other cars as Andrew cut off four lanes of traffic. About halfway to their destination Andrew got sick of the country/rap mashup that Nicki was enjoying and flicked off the volume, his face remaining emotionless as always. 

They arrived at Palmetto safely, a feat achieved only because Nicky convinced Andrew not to cut off a semi truck on their last exit ramp. Nicky breathed a sigh of relief as they all exited the car, clearly happy that they had survived Andrew’s reckless driving habits. Neil wouldn’t have been surprised if he had gotten on all fours and started kissing the ground.

“Nicky, go ahead without us. I need to discuss something with Neil.” Andrew said, tilting his head in the direction of the closest building. Nicky obliged, but not before sending Neil a look full of worry and silent support. Neil hadn’t forgotten about Andrew’s sudden assault back in Millport, and he was glad that Nicky wasn’t blind to his cousin’s affinity for violence.

Before turning to join Andrew at the curb, Neil slipped a hand in his pocket and pulled out the pillbox. He wasn’t going to be caught off guard this time without Kevin’s power. He pushed the lid off the box with his thumb, it was a little wooden one that he had picked up at a gas station outside of Las Vegas a couple months after they ran away from his father. Before Andrew could turn around and catch him in the act, Neil pulled the glove off his right hand with his teeth and pressed a couple fingers to the lock of hair contained in the pillbox. 

The familiar warmth that connected his fingers to the hair surged through his hand and wrapped itself up his arm. Neil could almost hear the crackle of a bonfire and smell smoke permeate the air around him. His fingers tingled, vibrating with the newly acquired surge of power as he thumbed the pillbox closed and stuffed it back into his pocket. He pulled his glove back on and nonchalantly joined Andrew on the curb. 

Andrew glanced up at Neil’s approach and offered him a cigarette, procured from the packet of Marlboro’s that was currently being stuffed back into his pants pocket. Neil took the cigarette and held it between his lips while he waited for a lighter to be offered. He looked around and took in Palmetto’s campus, its size was definitely bigger than the town of Millport and the buildings were a mix of old and new architecture. The cars in the parking lot ranged from Andrew’s shiny sports car to a rather large truck parked close to the entrance of the building Nicky had disappeared into, but the amount of cars was surprisingly stark. The students were probably not allowed into town, kept hidden from the rest of the world due to the potential dangers of their power. The school might be the only home they knew. Neil wondered briefly if he would ever consider the old buildings and the mysterious people within them home.

“Cigarettes usually taste better when they’re lit, you know.” Neil mused aloud. A couple minutes had passed since he accepted the cigarette, but he hadn’t seen Andrew light his up or procure a lighter within that time.

“So light it.” Andrew shot back, his left eyebrow quirking up in a silent challenge. 

Neil tensed at the thought of using Kevin’s power. He quickly relaxed though, not wanting to show Andrew how apprehensive he was about lighting up a tiny cigarette. He prepared for a fight, so he should be prepared for a quick smoke break. “Don’t blame me if you lose your eyebrows.” He warned.

Andrew shrugged, “I can handle it.” 

Neil sighed and positioned himself in front of Andrew. He pulled one of his leather gloves off and snap his fingers in front of the cigarette dangling out of Andrew’s mouth. A tiny flame popped into existence on the tip of Neil’s thumb, just like as if he was holding a lighter. Andrew leaned his head toward the little flame and lit the end of his cigarette. Before extinguishing it Neil drew the flame towards his own cigarette and lit it up as well. He and Andrew took a couple drags, but as Andrew kept smoking Neil simply held the cigarette in his hand, shielding it from the wind with his body as he inhaled the trail of smoke rising from the lit tip.

They stood like that for roughly five minutes, side by side, Andrew smoking and Neil simply holding the cigarette in front of him. He was surprised that Andrew didn’t ask about it, but Neil assumed he was just angry that he was wasting a perfectly good cigarette. "I expected a discussion, not a smoke break." He said, irritated at the silence that stretched miles between them.

"I got what I needed." Andrew replied. Neil was suspicious, but he schooled his expression into mild indifference. 

Andrew eventually threw his finished cigarette away and then ground it out with his shoe. Without sparing a glance Neil’s way, he started heading for the doors of the nearest building. Neil followed him in, bracing himself for something different from what he’s known all his life, for an environment where he doesn’t have to hide a small part of his mutation. However small a part of him it was, it was the most he had given anyone. That thought remained in his head, a small nagging sensation, as he trailed after Andrew into Palmetto School for the Gifted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me like three days to write I'm so sorry D:
> 
> I know everyone was excited to meet more foxes so I present to you: NICKY HEMMICK, the sexy cinnamon roll himself (too pure for this world)


	4. Chapter 4

Neil followed Andrew through double doors into a large foyer. The floors and walls of the giant room were covered in dark, polished wood that screamed “old and luxurious.” There were people everywhere, children and adults alike. Children were running upstairs next to the bannister and Neil spotted a couple sharing meals over unfinished chess games. There were large armchairs situated next to floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, occupied by teenagers cramming for their classes or simply enjoying the company of others. Neil had never seen such a warm, bustling room before, too used to silent abandoned houses and his mother as his only company throughout the years. He liked avoiding crowded spaces, and the fact that this room was filled with mutants should’ve made Neil want to follow his mother’s advice and run.

Instead he kept his eyes trained on Andrew’s back as he was led through the crowd, keeping his gloved hands close to his body and making himself appear small and unnoticeable. He noticed a line of tension coil through Andrew’s back, probably similar to the same tension that curled its way through Neil’s spine as the running children crossed in front of him, too close to touching for Neil’s comfort. If he saw a pair of wings on the back of one kid, he didn’t mention it. 

Andrew crossed the room to a winding staircase, adorned in ornately carved wood and a red carpet runner. Neil couldn’t help but feel like he was in a mansion, much like the first mutant school ever established. He would read articles online, folded over a computer in the library to hide his activities from the searching eyes of his mother, about Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. It was the only education he received about other mutants, his mother and father being humans themselves and his stint with the Moriyamas too short to be educational.

The noise of downstairs slowly dwindled as they made their way down a couple of hallways, all richly adorned in old portraits and refurbished chandeliers. Andrew stopped in front of a door, the plaque next to it simply reading “Foxes.” 

He opened the door without preamble and stepped inside, expecting Neil to trail after him. The rather large room sported the same rich wood and carpeting as the hallways, but instead of portraits Neil found himself staring at Sports Illustrated posters and polaroid’s plastered to the walls. There were about seven beds in the room, some bunked together and others pushed up against the walls to make space for a couch and entertainment system, complete with gaming consoles and a mini fridge. 

Despite the number of beds, there was only one other person in the room. Neil could tell he was tall, taller than him and Andrew at least judging by how much of the couch he took up when spreading languidly across the cushions. The man perked up as they both entered, attempting to stand when he saw Neil. It was then that Neil noticed the small lump of fur situated in the man’s lap, obviously disturbed from its rest when he attempted to move it off his lap. “Sorry Dan,” The stranger mumbled in its direction, “the new kid’s here.”

Neil made no move to get closer to him, but instead waited patiently while he stood up and situated the lump (Neil could now tell that it was a tabby cat) on the other couch cushion. “Hi, I’m Matt,” he said, holding his hand out. When Neil made no attempt to shake it, he retracted his hand without hesitation and turned to Andrew, “You could’ve warned us you were bringing him here first. I thought Nicky was going to take him on a tour before bringing him to the dorms.”

Andrew shrugged, crossing the room to a nearby bed and grabbing a sweatshirt from the post. “He’s your problem now, not mine,” he said, passing both Matt and Neil on his way out the door. Neil watched as he retreated down the hall, Andrew’s actions making as much sense to him as they had when he first punched Neil in the stomach at their first meeting.

“Neil Josten,” Neil replied, a bit late but not wanting to sound rude. He didn’t offer his hand to shake, but Matt didn’t bat an eye at it. 

Matt nodded, but his attention was diverted by the tabby cat that was now making its way to the back of the room. “Clothes are where you left them,” He shouted at it. The cat turned the corner where Neil assumed a bathroom was tucked.

“Sorry about Andrew, he’s usually not on the welcoming committee for new students,” Matt said, “did you leave your suitcases in his car?”

“This is it.” Neil said, nodding towards the duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. Matt stared incredulously at the tiny bag, but refrained from looking at Neil with pity. Neil was grateful for that.

“We’re gonna have to take you shopping for some sheets and a bedspread, unless you have them tucked in there somewhere. Is that your mutation? You can make your possessions disappear into the depths of your Mary Poppins duffel bag?” 

Neil frowned and tilted his head in confusion at the reference, it was completely lost on him. He shook his head, “I’ll need bed stuff and probably some school supplies.”

“We can go after supper,” A female voice shouted from the bathroom at the back of the room. Neil had connected the dots already, so his face remained expressionless as a tanned and short-haired woman came out of the bathroom and joined them by the doorway. She nodded at Neil, “I’m Dan. Sorry you saw my cat form first, Andrew really caught us off guard with the change in schedule.” 

“Therianthropy,” Matt supplied, gesturing towards Dan, “a cat after my own heart.”

“It’s not just cats,” Dan said, “but enough about me. What’s your mutation? Wymack didn’t really explain it to us, just the monsters.”

Neil hesitated. He assumed that ‘the monsters’ probably included Andrew and Kevin, but who else had Wymack told? Whoever it was would eventually be joined by the entire student body, judging by how open the rest of the students were about their mutations. The only person he had met so far that hadn’t supplied his ability was Andrew. And Matt, but Neil assumed that would come in due time. 

“Pyrokinesis.” It felt a bit like pulling teeth, but Neil eventually got it out.

Matt and Dan’s faces lit up simultaneously as they high-fived each other. “Dude, that’s awesome! Our sparring team is definitely going to rock this year with you and Kevin on the team!” Matt exclaimed.

“Each student is put on a sparring team when they first arrive. We train our powers together every day and sometimes we spar with other teams on campus.” Dan said. She was trying to explain it calmly, but her voice gave away her excitement. 

The amount of expectation he saw in their eyes had Neil fidgeting with his duffel bag straps. His powers were unstable, and one wrong hit or touch from an opponent would definitely blow his cover. The pillbox was hard to hide, and he couldn’t just whip it out in the middle of a match if he needed a recharge. The reality of how incredibly helpless he was made him feel small and powerless, to the point where he could feel his father’s presence fill the room. Neil visibly shivered.

The two of them must have seen how uncomfortable he was getting, because next thing he knew Matt and Dan were grabbing jackets and belongings, shuffling him out the door. “You’ll definitely get some training first before actually sparring, don’t worry about it so much. Let’s go on a quick tour and then get some food.” Dan said, motioning for Neil to follow her down the hall. 

They made their way back downstairs, the common area less crowded than before as suppertime approached. Palmetto campus was a circle of academic buildings and dormitories with a large plot of grass in the middle of them. As Dan and Matt led him around the perimeter of the buildings, they explained the purpose of each one. Neil paid attention to which buildings he would need to be in most often, like the gym, cafeteria, and library. They were spread out, but each one was attached to the other via connected hallways. “The winters are mild here, but the skywalks really come in handy during the cold early mornings,” Dan explained as they started heading for the library. 

The library was decorated the same as the previous building, wooden and classy. Neil figured he would get used to the luxury after a couple weeks, but he couldn’t help the way his breath hitched when he saw the massive three-story bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling skylight. There were a few people seated around them, studying and reading books in large armchairs strewn about. Neil continued following Matt and Dan through the room, but his eyes caught on a familiar tuft of blonde hair. He was bent over one of the desks, intently studying from the text book laid in front of him. His clothes were different from Andrew’s traditional all-black style, and his hairstyle was slightly different, but the face was the same; uninterested and apathetic.

Neil thought back to what Nicky had said when he was first introducing himself. _I’m Andrew and Aaron’s cousin_. He reached out and grabbed the hem of Matt’s sweatshirt, stopping him from continuing his ‘History of Palmetto Library’ rant. “Andrew and Aaron are twins, right?” He whispered, careful to make sure the Andrew doppelganger across the room couldn’t hear him.

Matt followed his gaze and chuckled when he saw who it was. “Yeah, that’s Aaron. You wouldn’t find Andrew within ten feet of this place,” he explained, turning to face Neil as Neil let go of his sweatshirt, “I’m surprised you found him so quickly though, usually it takes new students months to realize that Andrew and Aaron are two different people. Aaron’s pretty elusive.” He snickered as if sharing a private joke with himself. Dan seemed to get it though, as she playfully hit his arm and motioned for them to keep moving.

Neil found himself being led to a cafeteria, the smells of greasy pizza and overcooked pasta overwhelming him. He wasn’t necessarily hungry, but he grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and an apple before joining Dan and Matt at a table. He ate in relative silence, enjoying the conversation the couple were having about dogs vs. cats and the upcoming matches that their team was playing. Dan kept referring to themselves as ‘the foxes’, which Neil remembered was written on the plaque outside their dorm door. 

“Hey Kevin,” Dan greeted, catching Neil off guard like he was slapped in the face (or punched in the gut.) He looked up and caught Kevin’s green eyes glaring down at him, same as they were last Thursday and same as they were eight years ago.

“Training starts at eight AM tomorrow morning. Once the school year starts, it’ll be six AM. I wouldn’t be late,” Kevin said, his tone as imperious as ever.

Neil nodded, “Aren’t you going to sit?” he motioned to the seat beside Matt. He didn’t know what possessed him to ask, but he thought it rude that Kevin was just standing there, tray in hand and glaring at the three of them as if he didn’t want to stay there for more than a minute.

“Kevin is part of the monsters, they never sit with us,” Dan said, pointedly looking up at Kevin, “our powers are too mundane, even though _I’m_ the captain. Honestly, all of your mutations are terrifying, especially Andrew’s.”

Kevin didn’t respond, just rolled his eyes and turned to leave. Before he could walk away, Neil asked, “What exactly is Andrew’s ability?” His curiosity was definitely piqued, and everyone had been so open about their mutations. He wasn’t used to it, but he knew he needed an upper hand on Andrew and he needed to know his abilities in order to gain it. 

Kevin huffed out a laugh, and turned back around. “You don’t know? He used it on you the first time you met. I would think you’d remember.” At that, he turned and receded to the back corners of the cafeteria.

Neil watched him leave, officially irritated and definitely scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Dumps some foxes on your lap* Be nice to them
> 
> Dan and Matt def. have some issues that need resolving with the monsters.
> 
> Also, yes, I decided to replace Exy with sparring/training teams, please don't be mad D:


	5. Chapter 5

Neil woke up surrounded by darkness. He had successfully woken up before his dream had evolved into a nightmare, but he couldn’t shake the lingering smell of smoke and the taste of saltwater thick on his tongue. He took a couple minutes to gather his thoughts while his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He was at Palmetto School for the Gifted, his name was Neil Josten, and his mother was dead.

After Kevin left the dinner table last night, Matt and Dan refused to talk about Andrew. Neil could tell they were afraid of the small blond, and they weren’t about to spill his secrets without his consent. After dinner, Matt held true to his word and drove Neil to the nearest Walmart.

Neil stuck to simple, plain things that wouldn’t stand out too much. If given the choice between a red or black notebook, he went with the black. It was an aftereffect of all the years he had spent hiding, trying not to draw attention to himself. The one exception to his shopping cart was a rather large white down comforter. Matt had thrown it into his cart with only a little bit of protest from Neil. _Think of the movie nights, Neil. This thing will be so comfy!_

Neil huddled inside of the comforter a little bit further, it smelled clean and it really was the most comfortable thing he had slept in since, well, he was born. He glanced up at the alarm clock perched next to his bed. 5:04:00 AM blinked back at him. He fell asleep before any of his other roommates made it back last night, save for Kevin and Matt, but he startled awake every time the door creaked open and another person slipped into the room. This happened about three times before Neil calmed down enough to not reach for the knife under his pillow, and on the fourth intrusion he had just blearily looked up at the door and then fell right back asleep.

The comforter must have lulled him into a dreamless sleep because the next thing he knew, Neil was being woken up by hushed voices and the pattering of footsteps around him. He looked up at his alarm clock again, only this time it blinked an alarming 7:45:00 AM. He groaned and sat up, wiping the sleepiness from his eyes and yawning.

“Mornin’ Neil.” Nicky greeted from across the room, his voice as sweet as ever. Neil gave him a nod and then began the process of gathering clothes and his leather gloves out of the duffel bag and trudging to the bathroom. 

“Andrew, wake him up.” Matt said, pointing at Kevin’s sleeping form spread across one of the beds. His snoring was ungodly loud. Neil disappeared in the bathroom before he could watch the slow process of getting Kevin up and ready to go. He quickly slipped off his shirt, keeping his back to the mirror so that he wouldn’t accidentally glance at the scars riddling his torso. He pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and another shirt similar to the one he had slept in, checked his roots and contacts in the mirror, transferred his pillbox into his new pair of shorts, and then joined the others in their shared dorm room.

“This the new guy?” An unfamiliar voice asked from the front of the room. Neil looked him over; he was muscular but not much taller than Neil, and his face was curved into a grin that Neil very much distrusted.

“Yeah Seth, this is Neil.” Matt answered, subtly moving to stand between Neil and Seth.

“Pretty scrawny aren’t you?” Seth said. He didn’t expect an answer, so Neil kept his mouth shut and his face impassive. “Hey guys, bet I could lay him flat in ten seconds!”

No one in the room reacted to his challenge, all of them busy getting ready for the morning’s training. Neil noticed that Andrew had managed to get Kevin up and walking around, but he was still blinking sleep out of his eyes. 

Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky were lounged on the couch, nursing coffee cups. From where he was situated, Neil could only tell the twins apart just from their clothes. “Yeah yeah, save it for the court Seth,” Nicky said, his tone mocking. Seth grumbled something incoherent in response and stormed out of the room. Matt shrugged and followed him out, motioning to everyone left in the room to follow as well.

The court, as it turns out, was an abandoned lacrosse field on the outskirts of campus. The field itself was separated in half with white lines stretching the width of it, probably left over from when it was used for lacrosse. Wymack greeted them next to a small building that read “LOCKER ROOMS” across the threshold, accompanied by Dan and two other girls Neil didn’t recognize. 

“Neil, this is Allison,” Dan addressed him, pointing to a girl next to her that looked like she came straight out of a magazine, “and Renee.” She then pointed to the other girl. She was taller than Neil, with a lithe body and a soft expression. Her whole look seemed to contradict itself, the modest clothing and cross necklace clashing with her bright white hair and pastel dyed tips. She smiled at Neil as if she knew him personally, and Neil didn’t like it at all.

“Well then, now that we’re all acquainted,” Wymack spoke up from beside Dan, “it’s time to pair off. All of you will be sparring with the exception of Neil and Kevin. You’re meant to teach him how to use his power, not beat the shit out of him.” He turned to Kevin as he said this. Kevin nodded, any hint of tiredness disappearing from him completely. 

“All right, here’s the lineup. Matt and Aaron, Andrew and Renee…” Wymack went down the list, pairing the foxes up in a pattern that they seemed to be used to. “Remember to go easy on each other, Abby can heal you but she’s not omniscient.” 

They all nodded and began to go their separate ways, each pair heading to different areas of the court. Neil watched as Andrew shook his head minutely at Renee and retreated to the bleachers closest to where Neil and Kevin were training. Renee didn’t seem fazed by his rebellion and instead joined Seth and Allison in their corner of the court. 

“He watches you like a hawk,” Neil said as they took their places across from each other. 

Kevin shrugged, “He’s not the one you should be paying attention to.” 

Neil smirked as he threw off his gloves and stuck his hands in his pockets, feigning nonchalance. “Jealous?”

Kevin lobbed a fireball at him without warning. Neil had just enough time to press a couple fingers to the hair in the pillbox before he was scrambling out of the way, his hands and feet reaching the ground before he could fall ungracefully to the side. He could hear the fireball hitting the ground behind him, crackling as the grass underneath it caught fire. He hoped that someone on the team had a water wielding mutation, because it would definitely come in handy.

Neil didn’t give Kevin time to recover before he was charging straight for him. He knew he was fast, and Kevin barely had time to summon his flames before Neil was latching his hands around his arms and barreling him to the ground. Kevin’s power reacted instantly, draining itself into Neil where he was clutching Kevin’s biceps.

Kevin shifted his weight and threw Neil off of him, chasing him to the side with fists covered in flames. Neil dodged the hits that he could, but Kevin definitely got a few good ones in before Neil kicked him square in the chest. Kevin reeled backwards, catching his balance by pushing himself off the ground and into a standing position.

Kevin came at him again with a flaming left hook. Neil caught his wrist before it could land a good punch on his jaw, and instantly caught the other punch that Kevin was aiming at his stomach. They stood there for a moment, caught in a power struggle as Kevin pulled against Neil’s grasp. The power that was usually surrounding Kevin’s whole body was slowly being redirected to Neil’s hands where they held onto Kevin, the red tinted power in the shape of licking flames visible only to Neil.

Kevin let out a gasping cry, and Neil instantly let go and backed away. Kevin fell to the ground, breathing heavily. In contrast to his opponent, Neil felt amazing. His body hummed with the power he had received from Kevin, his fingers tingling and his body asking for _more more more_. However powerful he felt, Neil started shivering the moment his mind caught up with what just transpired. He felt hot all over, the burns Kevin inflicted on his neck and upper arms felt like they were still on fire. It was like he had accidentally touched the oven burner, not quite a permanently damaging burn but a burn nonetheless. A memory of a hot iron branding his shoulder caused Neil to stumble, his breath coming to him in short little gasps. He could feel every single punch Kevin inflicted on him, the fear that overwhelmed him the moment Kevin had gained the upper hand in the fight. 

Neil felt an intense amount of pressure on the back of his neck, and he realized a little too late that it was someone’s hand that was forcing his head between his knees. “You have no reason to be having a panic attack right now,” a voice growled behind him. Neil finally found purchase on reality as the pressure on his neck grounded him, and he sucked in a few desperate breaths. 

The hand left his neck just as Neil looked up, taking in his surroundings. Kevin was being led away by a blond older woman. _Abby_ Neil’s memory supplied, the healer. Most of the other foxes were gathered around them, the fight he and Kevin started had drawn a crowd of curious gazes their way. Neil looked up and found Andrew’s hazel eyes glaring back at him, “Come.” He demanded, and headed towards the locker room building.

Neil took his time getting back to his feet, the adrenaline and power rushing through his system had disappeared completely. He caught the eyes of Nicky and Matt as he followed Andrew to the small building, reading only concern and a tiny bit of fear in their eyes. 

As soon as they were both in the locker room, Neil had never regretted anything more in his life than following Andrew. He was caught off guard by a solid punch to his stomach, forcing him to fly back against a wall of lockers. “DON’T-“ Neil managed to shout before Andrew was on him, unforgiving fingers clenching around his throat and _squeezing_.

“Don’t what? Touch you?” Andrew growled, his grip on Neil’s throat tightening, “but you were being so touchy feely with Kevin earlier.” 

Neil gasped for breath, but his hands remained clenched in fists at his sides. A mantra of _don’t touch don’t touch don’t touch_ coursing through his head a million miles an hour. It was self-preservation at its finest, learned from being around his father for so many years. The Butcher of Baltimore hated being touched, and Neil suffered even more if he so much as brushed against him. That, on top of not wanting to absorb a random mutant’s power, had Neil trained like a docile pup at avoiding skin-on-skin contact.

Neil furrowed his eyebrows, the realization hitting him like a freight train. He struggled a little more against Andrew’s fierce grip, trying his best not to scream at the fire building in his lungs. Andrew suddenly let go, and Neil slumped against the lockers, coughing and gasping for air.

He stopped coughing but was still breathing heavily. Andrew waited about as patiently as he could, arms crossed as he braced for Neil’s undoubtedly scathing response. 

However, all that came out between gasps of air was, “You… you can touch me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can blame my own impatience for how fast this chapter was cranked out (also, alcohol)
> 
> P.S. If you have never owned a down comforter, do yourself a favor and get one
> 
> P.P.S. jfc Kevin your dad told you NOT to beat the shit out of him


	6. Chapter 6

“You… You can touch me…”

Neil regretted the words as soon as he said them, but the truth remains that Neil didn’t absorb any sort of abilities from Andrew. Neil felt nothing when Andrew touched him. A black hole of power was staring him in the face, but he couldn’t _have_ it.

Andrew quirked an eyebrow. Neil could read amusement in that small gesture but otherwise his face remained expressionless. “You know, for a kid with pyrokinesis you sure don’t rely on your fire in a fight,” Andrew remarked, leaning down to crowd Neil even further against the lockers, “and yet you still managed to defeat Kevin.”

Neil realized that no, he hadn’t used Kevin’s fire once throughout the entire fight. It was his mutation that was fighting back, draining Kevin of any energy and power that he had left in his body. His ability was a greedy one, and that became apparent within the desperation of a fight. Neil felt trapped, sitting with his back pressed up against the lockers and Andrew leaning into his space. He matched Andrew’s glare with an impassive gaze of his own.

“We’re going to play a game,” Andrew said, “a truth for a truth.”

“I’m assuming I have no choice.” Neil retorted.

“Oh Neil, you’ve never had a choice.” His tone was mocking, but the truth behind his words made Neil’s gaze harden into something more menacing, something more like _Nathaniel_. Andrew wasn’t fazed, “There’s something you’re not telling us about your mutation. Spill.” 

Neil doesn’t trust Andrew. He doesn’t know whether Andrew will turn around and tell everyone he sees what Neil’s big, bad secret is, or whether he will use it against him. Neil could hear his mother in his ear, whispering _keep it hidden, or you will be found_. Everything in his being was telling him not to tell Andrew the truth, but he also knew that he couldn’t keep his secret much longer. He remembered the look on Matt and Nicky’s faces as he passed by, full of worry and fear. He knew that they had questions, and so would the rest of the team. They had all seen him defeat Kevin without his fire, a feat that was nearly impossible without some kind of upper hand. Neil sighed, and gave up.

“I don’t actually have pyrokinesis.” 

“Right, and brown is not your natural eye color. Boring, moving on.”

Neil visibly flinched. He had remembered the contacts this morning, he wouldn’t have forgotten something so important. Andrew only rolled his eyes at him, _obvious_.

Neil gathered himself, clenching his fists where they rested beside his thighs. “I don’t know the proper name for it,” He began, “if I touch a mutant, I absorb their powers. Simple as that.” His mutation was the poster child for _not simple_ but he wasn’t about to spill everything right then.

Neil watched as Andrew rolled the new information around in his mind, making connections to things Neil could only guess at. His face remained impassive, returning Neil’s unwavering stare. “What’s in your pocket, Neil?”

“What’s your mutation, Andrew?” Neil shot back, challenging Andrew at his own game. He didn’t want to think about how Andrew knew about the pillbox, he had been careful to keep it from sight. More than that he needed to know why he couldn’t absorb Andrew’s power and why it bothered him so much.

Andrew sat back on his heels, finally giving Neil some space and breathing room. “Nullification.”

Neil’s eyes widened in understanding. That explained why Andrew could touch him. He was cancelling out Neil’s powers before Neil could absorb his. Andrew’s punches and rough handling was him negating Neil’s pyrokinesis. He saw Neil as a threat even before they had officially met. He now understood why Dan had referred to Andrew as terrifying; it didn’t matter how powerful a mutation was, one hit from Andrew would render it completely useless. The sudden loss of adrenaline and power Neil had felt after his panic attack was the aftereffect of Andrew pressing down on his neck, and he had drained Kevin almost completely dry before then.

Neil kept his eyes on Andrew as he dug the pillbox out of his pocket. The amount of secrets he was giving away threatened to overwhelm him, a small siren going off in the back of his mind. He pushed down the rising panic and slid the lid off the small box, revealing a lock of black hair. “It’s Kevin’s. It still has a little power left in it, even though it’s been cut off.” Neil grit out, watching as a question formed on Andrew’s lips, “and it’s my turn.”

Andrew’s face hardened into a glare, “Go on then.”

Neil shook his head, gathering himself enough to stand up. “I don’t have a question for you yet.”

Before Andrew could respond, the door to the locker room opened just a crack. Nicky peeked in hesitantly, but as his eyes found Neil and Andrew he opened the door wide enough to slip through. “Oh good, you didn’t kill him.” He remarked, turning to Andrew, “Kevin’s fine, just really tired. Abby said he overexerted himself.”

Neil tensed, expecting Andrew to spill his secrets right then and there. Instead, Andrew nodded at Nicky and gave one last assessing look at Neil before sliding out the door of the locker room.

Nicky let out a low whistle, “He really didn’t go easy on you, huh? Those neck bruises will be there for at least a week if you don’t see Abby.”

Neil shrugged, he’s definitely had worse. He scooted around Nicky, careful not to bump into him, and walked out onto the court. The rest of the foxes were huddled next to a set of bleachers, drinking Gatorade and not paying attention to his presence on the field. He slipped past them and retrieved his abandoned gloves, then ran back to the dormitory. He figured there was a shower in their dorm, not wanting to chance a community shower in the locker rooms and definitely not wanting to face his fellow foxes anytime soon. 

Matt found Neil in the dorm about an hour after his disappearance, showered and lounging in silence on the couch. “You ok?” He asked from the doorway.

“I’m fine.” Neil responded. Matt invited him to lunch but he politely declined, feigning a stomachache. Matt didn’t ask him any questions, and Neil was never more grateful for his awkward roommate.

After Matt left, Neil had another hour to himself before an insistent knocking brought him out of his thoughts. He opened the door to find Wymack, arms crossed and as intimidating as ever. Neil swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat; the man really did remind him of his father, and the differences between them were still few and far between.

“I need answers and Abby needs to check you over.” He said, already halfway down the hall and waiting for Neil to catch up.

Abby’s office, as it turned out, was more like a clinic. It smelled like disinfectant, and Neil immediately hated it. Abby was a little bit younger than his mom was before she died, but her kind eyes and smile wrinkles made her so incredibly different from his mom that Neil instantly liked her.

Wymack crossed the room and sat on the countertop lining the far wall. “Do I want to know what happened with Kevin today?” He huffed, crossing his arms and sending a cursory glance at Neil.

Abby was quick to speak up, “You won’t be in trouble, but we don’t think your mutation is what you claim it is.”

Neil pushed down the need to run from the two people in front of him. He told himself that they were harmless, that they were just schoolteachers and not people that would sell him out to the Moriyamas and consequently, his father. “I can absorb other mutant abilities by touching them. It’s unstable.” He looked up at Wymack, “I’m sorry for not telling you.”

Wymack and Abby stared at him in shock for a couple seconds, Neil purposefully avoiding their eyes. Wymack seemed to recover first. “No more secrets. My job is to keep you safe, and I can’t do that without knowing everything about you.”

Neil fought the urge to laugh. _If only you knew._

“Let me help you with those burns. Is it okay to touch you?” Abby came into his line of sight, her hand held out as if she were about to touch the burn on his forearm. Neil nodded.

Her hand was warm when she placed it over the burn, and Neil could see a trickle of green power drain from her hand into his arm. Abby quickly let go, “I guess one touch is all it will take.” She said, her voice full of awe. Neil looked down at where his burn used to be, it had completely vanished. He knew without looking that the bruises and burn on his neck were gone as well.

“How much can you heal?” Neil asked, his thoughts drifting to the many wounds underneath his shirt.

“Small burns, scrapes and bruises. Surface things.” Abby said, a proud smile taking over her face, “There was one time I helped set a bone, but it really just numbed the pain for a couple minutes.”

Neil nodded. When she turned her back to say something to Wymack, he ran a hand across his stomach. He could still feel the raised scars beneath the fabric of his shirt. Nothing could ever be easy, could it?

After Abby made him sign some health forms ( _yes_ he’s a mutant, _no_ he doesn’t have food allergies) they let him go back to the dorm.

The Monsters weren’t home, which Neil gathered was usually the case. Matt, Dan, Allison, Seth, and Renee were seated around the entertainment system. The lights were off as he snuck in and he noticed they were all enraptured by a movie on the TV. It was something animated, Neil didn’t have to look to know he had never seen it before.

“Hey man, we have some leftover pizza if you want some.” Matt said in a hushed voice. Everyone’s eyes landed on Neil as he grabbed a piece of pizza out of the nearest box. “We’re watching Mulan.”

Neil shrugged, “Never seen it.”

“Okay, you _have_ to watch it with us now. We can start it over from the beginning.” Sounds of annoyance and protest came from the foxes crowded around the couch. The only ones who weren’t grumbling were Renee and Seth, and the latter was too engrossed in his phone to care.

“I think I’m just going to go to bed,” Neil said, looking longingly over at his down comforter across the room. He didn’t want to be conscious when Kevin and Andrew came back. There was no doubt in his mind that Andrew had asked Kevin if he knew that Neil cut off his hair at some point and kept it on him at all times. He cringed just thinking about the conversation, and it would no doubt lead to Kevin figuring out who he really was. He finished his slice of pizza and assessed the group in front of him. They hadn't mentioned what happened this morning, leaving it up to him to start the conversation.

Dan nodded, covering Matt’s mouth with her hand just as he was about to protest. “We’ll turn it down for you.” She grabbed the remote and turned down the volume of the movie.

Neil smiled gratefully, just a quick thing but it made Matt, Dan, and Allison look at him with surprise. He ignored them in favor of crawling into his bed, the down comforter puffing up and swallowing him immediately. He found himself tuning out the noises of the room and falling into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who guessed Andrew's power already, I give you kudos (and for those of you who read my tumblr post, kudos to you for reading my tumblr post)
> 
> SPEAKING of tumblr, here's that outline snippet that I promised --> [ayyyy](http://welliefox.tumblr.com/post/145623714923/ummmm-yep-this-is-a-snippet-of-my-outline-for)


	7. Chapter 7

Andrew took a slow drag on his cigarette, holding the smoke in his lungs briefly before releasing it in a lengthy exhale. His feet were dangling off the roof of the dorm, his heart pattering against his rib cage as he stared at the campus sprawled out below him. His thoughts kept drifting back to the happenings of that morning, to brown contacts and restrained fists. 

He hadn’t told Kevin about Neil yet. It was obvious that the boy was running away from something, his clothes and features were plain but in a way that was definitely on purpose. He was trying not to draw attention to himself, but his efforts were now wasted as his power display on the court had stripped him bare for all to see. Neil fought like his life depended on it, his actions were exact and each movement he made was dripping with precision. Kevin’s power might have consumed him, but that level of physical ability was a learned trait. However dangerous Neil was, he had fought Andrew with his words, not his fists, when he had him cornered in the locker room. Andrew wondered if that restraint was learned as well. Nature versus Nurture was an odd thing, after all.

Andrew’s phone vibrated against his thigh. He dug it out of his pocket, flicking the ash off his cigarette to the depths below. A text from Kevin waited on his lock screen.

_come back_

Before he could reply his phone buzzed in his hand announcing another text.

_its neil_

Andrew was on his feet before he could think about it. Nothing good could be happening if that liar was involved, he was sure of it, and Kevin wouldn’t have involved him if he couldn’t handle the situation himself. He took one last drag from his cigarette and threw it, not bothering to watch it land. 

The lights were flickering on and off as he approached the dorm room, an erratic pattern that at once bathed the scene in light and obscured everything in darkness. Between the bouts of shadows, he recognized his roommates crowding around where Neil’s bed would be, all of them in various states of approaching but not wanting to disturb whatever was happening. Andrew pushed his way past Nicky and Kevin, who were both standing the farthest away from the scene. Nicky had a look of pure terror and concern on his face, whereas Kevin stood off to the side in mild interest. Andrew could always rely on Nicky’s face to tell him which emotions were the most obvious to portray. Aaron would still be in the library for another hour. Good.

The lights were going crazy now. _On off on off on…. Offonoff _. There could only be one person responsible for the sudden power surges, and his suspicions were confirmed as he saw what waited for him on Neil’s bed.__

Neil was straddling Seth, forcing his head facedown into the pillow as Neil's desperate hands choked strained noises out of him. Andrew noted that Neil was not wearing his usual leather gloves. Idiot. 

He didn’t hesitate as he grabbed the back of Neil’s t-shirt and dragged him off of Seth. It was almost effortless, Neil weighing no more than Aaron even though he sported a good three inches on the both of them. He threw the boy to the side of the bed, white comforter flying off with him and pooling around his lower half.

Andrew turned his attention to Seth. The lights had stopped flickering the moment he touched Neil’s back, and he could see the pathetic teen in full. He was breathing hard, his body still as if he were still being pinned down by Neil’s grasp. Andrew had to look away quickly, the scene before him too familiar for comfort despite the situation being completely different.

Andrew walked around the bed to stand over Neil. The boy returned his gaze with dead eyes. His face was contorted into a deadly smile to match, and Andrew fought the urge to look away in disgust. He caught a glimpse of this ferocity, this _other_ Neil, when they were in the locker room earlier that day. It was an involuntary expression, something that consumed his face without preamble and hinted at the dangers the kid was capable of.

 _Neil was beyond dangerous_. But as soon as Andrew thought it, his mind wandered to the exhibited restraint Neil showed in the locker room. His eyes were hungry for a fight, but his body remained cooperative, braced to run from any and all threats. Andrew looked down to where the comforter pooled around Neil’s waste. His shirt was hitched up from the struggle, a small stretch of skin revealed before it was hidden by his sweatpants. Long scars crisscrossed across the boy’s lower stomach, interwoven amongst themselves and definitely put there by a viciously dull knife. _Nature versus Nurture_. 

“What happened?” Andrew demanded. His voice cut across the silence of the room.

“He had a nightmare,” Matt answered hesitantly from the other side of the bed, “Seth got irritated because it woke him up.”

“I was trying to shut him up. He was making the most pathetic noises.” Seth groaned. He was now laying face-up on the bed, his breath still coming out in short gasps. He looked furious, his face braced for a fight but his body remained stagnant. Andrew knew he didn’t have enough energy to attack, not after Neil had finished with him.

“You _idiot_.” Andrew sneered.

“Neil, you okay?” Nicky said, peering to look down at Neil from beside the bed post.

“I’m fine.” Neil grit out. He was now staggering to his feet, any and all traces of the viciousness Andrew saw earlier was completely wiped from his face and replaced with his usual indifference. Matt moved beside Andrew, reaching out to Neil as if he was going to help him stabilize himself.

“Don’t touch him, he’ll shock you within an inch of your life.” Andrew warned him.

Matt quickly aborted the action, pulling his hand back as if he was burned. “What are you talking about?”

Andrew doesn’t bother answering him, and neither does Neil, curiously enough. The boy leaned down to dig through the duffel bag underneath his bed, dragging out a pair of tennis shoes and his gloves. “I’m going for a run.” Neil stated, as if he hadn’t just woken up from a nightmare and almost murdered his roommate.

“Right now? But it’s 2:30 in the morning!” Nicky protested. Neil pretended not to hear him, pulling on the shoes and gloves in silence. He left the room without sparing a glance at anyone. 

Andrew began to follow him out, but was abruptly stopped by the tall figure of Kevin Day. “Andrew, we need to talk.”

“Tomorrow.” Andrew dismissed. He waited while Kevin sputtered his protests and eventually shoved past him. Neil was his first priority at the moment.

He found Neil on the stairs, paused at the halfway point as he noticed Andrew approaching him from down the hall. “Why haven’t you told them yet?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Neil shot back, his patience wearing thin. His eyes were darting between Andrew and the double doors, seeking an exit like his life depended on it. It probably did at some point.

Andrew shrugged “Our game isn’t over yet.” He was waiting for Neil’s next question, bracing himself for the storm that never seemed to come. He didn’t like giving people power over him, and Neil, the enigma himself, was _constantly_ seeking power.

Neil glared up at him for a couple seconds, weighing his options. He seemed to make a decision and turned to leave, jogging down the rest of the stairs. Andrew studied his retreating form, not missing the way the boy’s hands trembled as it gripped the stair railing.

“Junkie.” Andrew called after him. He didn’t know if the shaking was an aftereffect of the nightmare or of the electrokinesis that was now coursing through his small body, looking for release. Whichever it was, Neil seemed content to ignore it as he ran out the double doors. 

Andrew pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. 2:55 AM blinked back at him. He had about four hours before he needed to meet everyone in the dormroom before training. A text from Kevin popped up below the time, accompanied by a short vibration.

_tomorrow today or tomorrow tomorrow?_

Andrew rolled his eyes and traipsed back up the stairs. Instead of turning towards the Foxes’ hallway, he took a different route through one of the skywalks and into an adjacent building. The dorm was no place for people with demons, for people that had nightmares. Neil had learned that lesson the hard way. 

The building was mainly used for History and English classes, but the upstairs was where the band, choir, and instrument practice room were. Andrew wandered into the farthest practice room down the hall and locked the door behind him. He shook the handle, making sure that the lock would hold.

Andrew shoved the upright piano over a little, edging it to the center of the tiny room. The back of the piano was hollow, save for a small sleeping bag tucked in the corner. Andrew grabbed it and moved the piano back in place.

He set an alarm on his phone for 7:30 AM after spreading out his sleeping bag on the floor and curling into it, his back up against the back wall of the practice room. He fell asleep thinking about locked doors and a pair of brown, dead eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like legitimately my favorite chapter I’ve written so far
> 
> I have slept, cried, and waited out a panic attack in my college’s practice rooms those things are a gift from god ~~people also have sex in them which makes me VERY UNCOMFORTABLE~~
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://welliefox.tumblr.com/)


	8. Chapter 8

Neil woke up to the sound of chirping birds. His back was stiff from sleeping on the cold, metal bleachers but his mind was clear for the first time since he was violently woken up. He had run around the perimeter of campus for about two hours afterwards, flexing his fingers the whole way and testing the mix of electricity and anxiety that raced through his body. There were a couple times that Seth’s borrowed power had overwhelmed his control and caused a streetlight to spark and burn out above him, but the power eventually dissolved into a soft tremor after a bit. He found himself at the court, and after a few minutes of deliberation he decided to lay down on the bleachers for a couple hours of sleep.

He was used to sleeping outside, years of running with his mom taught him not to be picky about which bus stops or park benches were the most comfortable. He looked up at the rising sun, and his internal clock was confirmed when the distant sounds of conversation reached his ears. It was almost eight in the morning.

Neil sat up and watched as Dan, Matt, Allison, and Renee approached the field. Kevin, Nicky, Andrew, and Aaron were trailing a couple feet behind them, the distance between the two groups was clearly intentional. Matt spotted Neil first, and ran ahead of his pack to greet him.

“Hey man, you okay? You never came back to the room last night.” He sounded genuinely concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just went on a run.” Neil said. For some reason he refrained from telling Matt about his nap on the bleachers. He knew that wouldn’t go over well.

“For five hours?” 

Neil shrugged, and was happy when he saw Wymack and Abby walk onto the field. The foxes gathered around their coach, and Matt and Neil silently joined them.

Neil was mindful to stay away from Seth. He could almost feel the glare that the teen was sending his way, and he really didn’t blame him for it. There were bruises lining Seth’s neck which lined up perfectly with the size of his hand, and even though Abby could heal them, the happenings of last night couldn’t be erased. 

Neil took a deep breath and remembered harsh hands shoving him. He remembered seeing a face and believing, knowing that it was his father. He remembered lashing out as hard and as fast as he could. He remembered how scared he was, and how determined he was to not let it show. The memories washed over him like a vat of tar, black and sticky, a substance that slowed his thoughts and kept him in place, a place that he never wanted to be.

“As you all know, information has been brought to light regarding our new recruit’s mutation.” Wymack’s voice cut through the tar like a knife, forcing Neil to perk up and pay attention to the world around him. He tensed as Wymack’s words reached him.

Neil looked at the faces of his fellow foxes, searching for the one that mattered. Most of them were curiously looking up at Wymack. Andrew was impassive and Seth was still glaring at him. But the one that Neil focused on was Kevin.

“Neil?” Wymack gestured at him, asking him to explain and offering no alternative.

Neil kept his eyes on Kevin, and mentally shut out the voice of his mother yelling at him to _keep it hidden_. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t honest about my abilities.” Neil cleared his throat, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “My mutation is power absorption, not pyrokinesis.”

The foxes erupted in noise, Matt’s “Wait, what?!” trumped all of them in terms of volume, and Seth’s quiet seething was almost just as loud. Neil continued to look at Kevin, and waited patiently for the realization to sink in.

When it came, it came slowly. Kevin matched his gaze, his eyes widening as the implication hit him full force. His mouth hung open, and a mix of shock and horror completely consumed him. The foxes would interpret it as surprise at Neil’s unprecedented mutation, but Neil knew better. And so did Andrew.

Andrew positioned himself between the two of them, moving slowly as if to avoid brushing against the other foxes around them. Amongst the noise, Neil couldn’t make out what he was saying to Kevin, but Kevin’s eyes remained trained on Neil. Neil slowly shook his head, keeping his expression void of any emotion. He hoped that Kevin understood his silent communication of _not here, not now_.

“Neil will train with each one of you individually, starting today. He needs practice using his mutation.” Wymack pulled them out of whatever world they found themselves in and back to the present, “We don’t know the effects that his powers have on him or on the person he’s using it on, but Abby will be with you the whole time.”

“Sounds safe.” Allison said sarcastically. Neil hadn’t noticed her before now, standing next to Seth, hand on her hip as if silently challenging the world around her.

“We’ll start him off easy with Renee today.” Wymack said, “The usual teams will train on the field. Renee, Neil – you’re on the bleachers.”

As Neil headed in the direction of the bleachers, Kevin made abortive efforts to follow him. Andrew managed to stop his attempts, and pointed him towards the direction of the field. For what reason Andrew stopped him, Neil didn’t know but he was grateful for the sociopathic blonde right then.

Renee approached him as they both sat down on the metal bench. Her body was angled towards his, but she kept a decent amount of space between them so that she wouldn’t brush his leg. Even though he was still wary of her, Neil appreciated the distance immensely.

“Hi Neil, it’s so nice to finally talk to you.” Renee said, her voice was sweet, similar to Nicky’s. It made Neil uneasy.

“Likewise.” He said, although he really didn’t mean it. Renee didn’t bat an eye at his indifference, and only smiled. She held out her hand. Neil retracted from it instantly, too many years of ingrained instructions to not touch kept him from accepting it.

“I have a mutation that allows me to be overly empathetic,” Renee said, still holding her hand out, “it’s a lot like Nicky’s. I can sense people’s emotions, and can occasionally control them. I don’t like to do so, however, unless I get explicit permission first.”

“Unlike Nicky.” Neil said.

“Unlike Nicky.” Renee smiled. 

Neil nodded and slowly took off one of his gloves. he hesitantly reached for her outstretched hand, and once he took it his whole world was suddenly filled with color.

Renee was surrounded, head to toe, with a bright pink aura. it was warm and bright, but didn’t have the physicality and realness that most power auras had. When Neil saw power, it was almost tangible, and his body reacted to it almost instantly, greedy to absorb it. Renee’s aura, although visible, gave him something to feel rather than to touch.

Neil looked out onto the field and saw reds and greens surrounding his fellow foxes. Feelings such as eagerness and anger filled him to the brim. He looked out at Matt, who was sparring on equal footing with a rather large black bear. He felt excitement and giddiness coming from the two, and a hint of purple flirtation. 

Neil felt a tug on his arm, and turned his attention back to Renee. A feeling of panic clouded over the warmth he had felt before. His view of Renee was clouded by a black haze, and he quickly let go of her hand as soon as he realized what had happened.

Renee was breathing heavily; she had been struggling against Neil’s tight grip for a couple minutes but Neil didn’t seem to notice. She coughed a couple times before catching her breath enough to signal to Abby that she was all right. Abby, a couple feet away and also out of breath as if she had been running towards them, nodded and stayed in place. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-“ Neil started.

“It’s okay,” Renee said, cutting him off. She seemed to have regained her breath back, but she was still a little hunched over from the effort, “I think it was about fifteen seconds before I started to feel weak.”

Neil nodded, “I’ll hold on for ten then.” When Renee had completely recovered, they held hands again and continued their practice.

They continued like that for the rest of the morning. Ten seconds of holding hands, three minutes of recovery. Neil had attempted to control the emotions he saw a couple times, but never seemed to achieve it. “It took a long time before I could control them.” Renee had said with a faraway look in her eye, something that seemed familiar to Neil but not something that he wanted to poke at.

Neil hung back on the bleachers as the foxes meandered over to the locker room after training was over. He watched as Kevin and Andrew followed, and wondered how he was going to approach them after this. A little bit of power from his session with Renee remained, and he saw a solid black aura surrounding Kevin. It nearly obscured the icy blue of wariness that outlined Andrew’s frame. The colors disappeared as soon as they entered the locker room. 

Neil hung back on the bleachers, mentally preparing himself for the conversation with Kevin that he was undoubtedly about to have. The foxes slowly trickled out, one by one. Neil watched as they walked back to the main campus, talking excitedly to each other about lunch. After a couple minutes Andrew and Kevin emerged as well.

Kevin headed for the center of the court whereas Andrew approached the bleachers. Neil recognized the silent command, and made his way to where Kevin was. His heart was pounding ridiculously fast, but his expression was schooled, a skill learned after countless years of living in constant danger.

Kevin looked like he was staring at a ghost. He watched Neil’s approach with outright wariness. “You’re not him.” He said reverently.

Neil looked back at Andrew. He was lounging on the bleachers, but was definitely out of earshot. “And if I was?”

Kevin exhaled shakily, “Nathaniel, how-“

“Don’t you _dare_ call me that.” Neil hissed, flinching violently at the sound of his birth name, memories of his father coming unbidden to the surface of his mind. His gloved hands clenched around the torso area of his t-shirt as a wave of nausea threatened to overcome him.

Kevin took a couple steps back, fear clouding his expression. Neil forced himself to calm down, to take a couple of even breaths. Kevin was afraid of him, and that was the last thing Neil wanted. “I’m Neil Josten now.”

Kevin relaxed, but didn’t move any closer. He nodded his head towards the direction of the bleachers where Andrew was still seated. “I didn’t tell him the truth. I told him that I wanted to talk to you about our fight yesterday, but I don’t think he bought it.”

Neil nodded, “I want to keep my identity a secret, Kevin. He’s still out there. Even though he’s still in jail, his underlings are still looking for me.” He tried to keep his voice from wavering, talking about his father was the last thing he wanted to do. “Not to mention the Moriyama’s.”

Kevin visibly recoiled at the mention of his adopted family. Neil didn’t know everything about his time with them, and even less about Kevin’s reasoning for leaving and joining Palmetto instead of continuing his studies at Edgar Allen. But he knew enough. The life of a kid raised in a mafia family was anything but normal and healthy, Neil would know.

“The hair. You still have it.” It wasn’t a question. Neil nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the pillbox.

“It still has a little power. I couldn’t use it much because I wanted to avoid suspicion.” The night that Neil and his mother had run away, Neil approached Kevin with a pair of scissors. Kevin agreed wholeheartedly that in order to survive, Neil would need that one small piece of him, and had helped him cut it off. It was a small gesture, but the flames had helped Neil when he really needed them. The car, sitting on the beach surrounded by saltwater, would have never gone up in flames without Kevin’s help.

“Great job avoiding suspicion, idiot.” Kevin abruptly interrupted his thoughts, “A single cigarette cost you your anonymity. I’m surprised your mother allowed you to be so stupid.”

“My mother is dead.” Neil scowled, “Luckily she got enough dirt on my father before he finally caught up with us. He’s in jail now, and fuck you for thinking that I don’t remember her sacrifice every time I mess up.”

Kevin balked at Neil’s honesty, but quickly recovered enough to nod in Andrew’s direction. “This conversation isn’t over, but Andrew’s coming.”

Neil closed his eyes and regained his composure. He turned away from Kevin to face Andrew. The blonde approached them at a steady pace, but Neil could see the tension growing in his small frame.

“Kevin, we’re leaving.” Andrew commanded. Neil and Kevin had raised their voices a couple times towards the end of their conversation, and Andrew wasn’t about to ignore the beginnings of a fight. They both knew that Neil would win.

Kevin began to follow Andrew as he walked off the field, but stopped when he came shoulder to shoulder with Neil. “I’m not going to save your sorry ass when he comes looking for you. Remember that the next time you mess up.” At that, he continued walking, leaving Neil alone in the center of the court. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bahhhh I'm so sorry this took me so long to get up! I had a really busy weekend 
> 
> Check out [this sweet art](http://czernee.tumblr.com/post/145772707783/you-need-to-run-he-whispered-to-his) that Czernee (lidiamartini) made for this fic! She's an amazing artist/person and I can't believe she drew this :D
> 
> Also please check out [Color Me Free](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7151633/chapters/16237787), not only is it written by my amazing best friend/roommate/cousin, but it's a Foxhole Court Divergent AU fic! Check her out on [tumblr](http://hazzafluff.tumblr.com/)
> 
> As always, you guys are the greatest and I couldn't write this without your support <3


	9. Chapter 9

“Dude, seriously. You need to come back to the room. Where did you even sleep last night?”

Neil shrugged. _Locker room_. “Wymack offered his couch.”

Matt sighed and leaned back, propping his legs up on the metal bleacher in front of them. The morning air was cool enough for them to be huddled into thick sweatshirts, and Neil looked longingly at the sparring partners spread out across the field. Most of the foxes looked like they were working up a sweat, Kevin and Dan especially.

“I can’t say I don’t blame you though, Seth has been really pissed off lately.”

When Matt didn’t get a response from Neil, he dug his phone out of his back pocket and started typing on the screen. “Aren’t we supposed to, I don’t know… train?” 

“Patience, young grasshopper.” Matt held up a finger and pressed play on a video he had pulled up on his phone. It was a grainy, old kung-fu movie that was entirely in Chinese, but Matt seemed completely enraptured in it. After a couple minutes of watching the video, he silently offered his hand to Neil, palm up. 

Neil took it hesitantly, their hands held between them in what would be, to an outsider, considered intimate. The power that surged into Neil was strange, different from Kevin’s or Renee’s. He felt seemingly more confident in his physical abilities, like he could run twelve miles without breaking a sweat. He looked down at the video still playing on Matt’s phone and it suddenly made sense.

“It’s called photographic reflexes.” Matt explained, but his eyes never left the video, and neither did Neil’s. When the ten seconds were up, Neil let go of Matt’s hand but encouraged him to click on another video when the other one ended.

After watching ten videos and holding Matt’s hand off and on, Neil was beyond ready to get out onto the field and spar. Matt conceded and led them both to a corner of the court, giving Neil’s hand one last squeeze before they separated and faced each other.

“Okay, so it’s pretty simple. Just remember the moves those guys were using in the videos and—“ Matt didn’t get to finish his sentence as he was too busy dodging the well-timed punches Neil was aiming at his stomach. He put some distance between himself and Neil, only to be faced with a professional-level roundhouse kick to the face. He dodged that as well, and crouched down just in time to sweep his partner’s legs out from under him. 

Neil was quick to recover, using his momentum to jump back to his feet just as Matt returned to a boxer’s stance. Neil knew he was smiling, but was too pumped with adrenaline to care whether it was reminiscent of his father’s maniacal grin. Matt returned the expression with a joyous laugh as they circled around each other, watching for the next move. Neil was filled to the brim with rambunctious energy and knowledge that he gained from the videos. He remembered every kick and every hit like he was the guy in the videos, and he knew exactly how to use that knowledge while sparring with Matt.

Unfortunately, Matt felt the same way. Plus, he had experience with his mutation and his body was in top physical condition, unlike Neil’s. His kicks were well-timed and his punches always landed, and soon enough he had Neil pinned to the ground more times than he could count. They were both out of breath, Neil more so than Matt, sitting side by side as the sparring partners around them started filing into the locker room. Neil poked and prodded at the bruises covering his body, the most prominent ones lining his stomach and thighs.

“Sorry man, but you were going all out!” Matt said, standing up to follow the rest of the foxes, “Abby can fix you up no problem. You’ll have to deal with them until you get to her office, though.”

Neil nodded, but he definitely didn’t want Abby looking at his stomach. He would deal with it. After all, a few bruises were not the worst thing he’s ever suffered through. 

“You coming?” Matt asked, jerking a thumb towards the locker room. 

“I’m going to run a few laps first.”

“Dude, we seriously just sparred for an hour. You can barely stand let alone run around!” Matt crossed his arms indignantly.

“Oh Neil, ever the worrier.” Andrew’s voice came from behind Neil, startling him into tense awareness. “Trying to get out of showering with the team?”

Neil scrambled to his feet, turning to face Andrew with a scowl. “That’s none of your business.”

Andrew waved his finger in front of Neil, a _tsk tsk tsk_ coming from him as if to scold instead of intimidate. “You should know better than to think you can hide. What’s under the clothes? Bruises?” He gasped mockingly, “Scars?”

Neil clenched his fists, counting to twenty in his head. He couldn’t react, getting angry would be against everything he had built Neil Josten up to be. He thought back to when Wymack had first shown up at his high school, a manila folder clutched in his hand as if it held all the secrets to the mutant in front of him. Neil assumed that it only contained information regarding his pyrokinetic abilities, but what else had Hernandez told him?

“You read my file, you should know.” Neil said calmly. He was baiting Andrew, but his calm exterior was thinly veiling the panic rising up in his throat. 

“Oh, but it was such a boring read. Who hit you? Mommy? Or was it daddy?” Andrew inched forward, his face as blank as always but he was clearly enjoying the process of prodding at Neil’s past. Neil bit back a sigh of relief, Andrew didn’t know anything.

Andrew must have seen some sort of reaction from Neil, because he pressed forward even more furtively. “Did he get drunk a lot? Push you around?” Something dark flashed in his eyes, “Or did he pay you nightly visits?” 

Neil flinched back in repulsion, but before he could respond or even think about the implications of what Andrew said, Matt had inserted himself between the two of them. “That’s enough, Andrew.”

Andrew leaned back, assessing Neil with an apathetic expression. “Maybe not then.” He moved past Matt towards the locker rooms, “The shower has stalls with curtains. Ask the addict if you don’t believe me.” 

As soon as he was out of earshot, Neil turned to face Matt. He was pulling on his sweatshirt sleeves, his face a mix of shame and practiced indifference. _Addict_ Andrew had said. Neil chose to ignore it for Matt’s sake. “Thank you.”

Matt shrugged, “Andrew has no right to be asking questions. But he was telling the truth, the showers do have stalls.”

Neil followed Matt to the locker room, and to his surprise most of the foxes had already showered and left. He rounded the corner and felt a flood of relief wash over him, curtained stalls lined the walls of the shower room, each one outfitted with a showerhead and small hotel soaps. He stripped off his sweaty clothes and stood in the shower until the hot water started to run cold. It was his first shower since coming to Palmetto, and even he had to admit that he was starting to smell.

After showering, he met up with the older foxes in the cafeteria and settled down with chicken nuggets and a glass of milk. Their inane chatter helped him focus on the happier events of that morning. Matt’s power was beyond cool, and would be incredibly useful in a fight that wasn’t just a friendly sparring match. He made a mental note to ask Matt for a lock of his hair later.

The afternoon went by like a blur. Matt invited him over to play video games in the room, but after a couple hours of mindless fighting games, Neil excused himself to go wandering around campus. It would be another couple of weeks until school started, so the library was all but abandoned save for a couple of earnest bookworms. He meandered through the aisles, not really fascinated by the contents of the books but by the ornate bindings and covers that some of them sported. He found himself in the art section, thumbing through a large book about Vincent Van Gogh when he realized that it was dark outside. He looked up at the grandfather clock at the end of the aisle and saw that it was well past 9:00 at night.

His stomach wasn’t growling, having skipped too many meals in his lifetime had probably taken its toll on his body’s responses to abuse, so he decided to continue his studying of the campus grounds. He had spent last night on the floor of the locker room, huddled in the corner with his duffel bag and a couple sweatshirts to keep him warm. Although he would willingly do it again if it meant staying out of the dorm room, he would rather find a couch somewhere instead. Leaving the library, a tuft of blonde hair caught his eyes but it was gone the moment he turned to investigate. Aaron must frequent the library a lot.

Neil walked across campus to a dorm building next to the Foxes’ dorm. The common area was similar, but as he walked upstairs he realized that the dorm definitely housed students different from the Foxes. Children’s drawings and construction paper lined the hallways, overlapped and pinned up haphazardly. Each door was labelled with a different age group, starting with _The Terrible Two’s_ all the way up to _The Talented Ten’s_. 

Neil ghosted his fingers over a drawing on the wall. The badly drawn picture depicted a kid with some sort of large tail, a simple smile on his face and the words “Jonah and his mutashun” in bad handwriting at the top of the paper. Neil smiled, he was genuinely happy for these kids. They get to live a life where they aren’t in constant fear of the grown-ups around them, where they can use their mutations without being hit, cut open, or recruited into the mutant mafia at the young age of ten. 

“What are you doing here?” A familiar voice startled Neil back to the present. Andrew stood at the end of the hallway, backlit by a large window. Neil couldn’t make out his expression in the darkness, but he knew a scowl when he heard one. 

“I could ask the same of you.” Neil responded, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall in a stance of defiance. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the small blonde. Andrew glanced at the bedroom door closest to him, then returned his gaze to Neil almost as quickly.

“Is that a challenge or a question?” 

Neil knew the difference, and he also knew that he wasn’t going to waste his turn on a question he wasn’t getting a straight answer on. “I do finally have a question worth asking.”

Andrew didn’t respond, instead choosing to walk past him to the staircase. Neil knew an invitation when he saw one and followed Andrew downstairs to the common room. They settled on a pair of armchairs, facing each other with matching blank expressions. Andrew waved his hand, _get on with it_.

“Why do you protect Kevin?” Neil said. Andrew didn’t seem fazed by the question, but nothing ever seemed to get past his calm exterior.

“We made a deal. I protect him from the Moriyama’s in exchange for something I want.” Neil’s breathing increased at the sound of _the Moriyama’s_. He hadn’t heard the family’s name spoken aloud since he was young, and the fact that Andrew knew of Kevin’s circumstances put a heavy weight of panic in Neil’s stomach. Never mind the fact that Andrew thought he could stand against the largest mafia family in Japan and America.

“And what do you want?” Neil refused to let Andrew see how much this conversation was affecting him.

Andrew waved his finger back and forth, shaking his head in tandem. “My turn.” He sat back in his chair and considered Neil for a moment, each second passing by reminiscent of Neil’s frantic heartbeat. “When did you cut off Kevin’s hair?”

“We were ten. He volunteered.” Neil pushed himself off the armchair, making his way to the double doors that were his escape, his freedom from the weight of the conversation. Andrew didn’t stop him, it was Neil’s turn after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummmm *phew*  
> Yeah, last week was hectic and I got caught up in my summer reading list (Captive Prince trilogy anybody??)  
> BUT I'm back! Have some heated Andreil conversations and puppy!Matt :)


	10. Chapter 10

Neil knew the moment he opened his eyes that he probably shouldn’t have slept in the locker room again. His neck hurt from sleeping at a weird angle, his head cushioned from the floor by his duffel bag, and his ribs screamed from the bruises that Matt gave him the previous morning. He had considered sleeping in the common room of their dorm, the armchairs were cushioned and promised a better night sleep than the cold floor of an outdoor locker room, but the thought of the Foxes or some other resident finding him passed out in the middle of the lobby when he should be in a bed quickly deterred him from spending the night indoors.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be at Palmetto anyways. The promise of total control over his powers had been convincing at first, but this game he’s been playing with Andrew and Kevin was stretching him a little too thin. Kevin knew who he was, and although he trusted his childhood friend not to rat him out to the Moriyama’s, his loyalty to Riko and Tetsuji might outweigh their nonexistent friendship. Andrew’s protection was a solid assurance that Kevin wouldn’t be running to West Virginia any time soon, but Neil was nervous. He was nervous that at any moment, Kevin could tell Andrew about his past and ruin his life at Palmetto. He was nervous that his father’s mutant lackeys could find him and kill him just for the fun of it. He was nervous that the Moriyama’s would claim him again and force him to join their ridiculous mutant army. Neil was walking a thin line between life and death, and he wasn’t doing a good job of keeping his balance.

Voices made their way to the locker room, and Neil managed to ignore his aches and bruises enough to stand just as the male Foxes filed in. Nicky and Matt were the only two that acknowledged his presence, Nicky giving him a small nod and Matt offering his hand in a fist bump. Since Neil was wearing his gloves that morning, he acquiesced and returned the gesture. Matt was delighted.

While the rest were changing into gym clothes, Matt and Neil walked out onto the Court and joined Abby and Wymack. The rest of the Foxes were quick to follow, with the exception of Allison and Seth who were just now approaching the court. Seth looked like he usually did, basketball shorts and sour expression combined to make him more of a douche than ever. Allison was dressed to the nines, a tight mini skirt hugging her curves and sharp stilettos making quick work of the grass beneath her. Neil winced, that outfit cannot be easy to spar in.

Wymack clapped his hands to get their attention, Neil tried not to flinch. “All right everybody, you know the drill. Pair off – Matt, I want you and Dan to focus more on speed. Aaron, try not to disappear after I’m done talking and pretend that you were sparring the whole time.” Aaron didn’t even try to look apprehended. “Allison, you’re with Neil today, like we discussed.”

Allison grinned at Neil, feral and mischievous, as she spun a pair of car keys around her finger. Seth grumbled something unintelligible and wandered off with the other Foxes. “You ready cutie?” Allison asked, gesturing towards the nearby parking lot.

“Depends. Where to?” Neil tried not to be suspicious of the taller girl. She looked like she walked straight out of a magazine, but her association with Seth made her inherently untrustworthy.

“The mall. My powers work better with more interesting things around, and the Palmetto sparring field has exhausted my patience.” She said, with the air of someone that knew how she liked things and knew how to get the things she liked. Allison approached a bright red convertible in the corner of the parking lot, and gracefully situated herself in the driver’s seat. Neil followed hesitantly, folding himself in the passenger’s seat and ignoring the flowery perfume that immediately engulfed him.

The drive to the mall was relatively quiet, save for Allison’s pop music and the sounds of the highway around them. Neil was curious about her power – whenever he would watch the Foxes sparring, she was always kickboxing, either by herself or with Renee. Her kicks and blocks were normal, albeit strong and self-assured, but Neil was looking forward to seeing something different from her.

Allison ushered him into the nearest store as soon as they parked, taking him immediately to the Juniors section. Neil stood next to her quietly as she threw a couple shirts and jeans his way, all of them two sizes smaller and more colorful than anything he would’ve ever bought himself. He finally spoke up when he found himself in the athletic wear section, an armful of dry-fit sweatshirts in one hand and expensive skinny jeans in the other. “I thought we were supposed to be practicing?”

“Hmmm don’t think I want to hold your hand while you’re wearing jorts and a t-shirt that looks like it’s been salvaged from a trailer park.” Allison said, absentmindedly picking through a rack of leggings.

Neil looked down at the mountain of clothes he held, “I thought these were all for you? I don’t need any more than what I already have.”

“Your wardrobe is sad, Neil. Even Wymack agreed that you needed an upgrade.” Allison’s voice broke no further argument. Neil thought back to what Wymack had said that morning – they had discussed this beforehand. He groaned and reached up to tug on his hair. “You also need a haircut. God, Neil, how do you see where you’re going?”

Neil rolled his eyes and followed Allison up to checkout. Before she could reach into her sequined purse, he practically threw his credit card at the checker. “Fine, but I pay for it.” Allison smiled at him, more genuine than before but still mischievous. Neil was beginning to think it was her natural state.

After the clothing store, Allison pulled him into the nearest hair salon and made an appointment. “So is your power making people do things against their will, or…?”

“Oh hush, we’ll get there. Do you like this hairstyle or this one more?” Allison held up a magazine spread and pointed to two men. Well, one was definitely a man, the other looked a little more ambiguous. Neil shrugged, he honestly didn’t care what happened with his hair as long as it wasn’t dyed back to its natural color.

They called his name after a couple minutes and he sat down obediently in front of the mirror. Allison spoke with the stylist, but Neil was distracted by the process of keeping himself calm. The threat of scissors getting anywhere near his neck made him tense throughout the whole haircut, but the stylist moved slowly enough that he could watch their every movement in the mirror. The stylist tutted over his poorly dyed roots, but made no further comment. Neil was thankful for that.

Allison gave the haircut her stamp of approval, then ushered him into the mall bathroom with a bag of newly bought clothes. “You’re almost done, Jesus Christ, stop pouting.”

Neil emerged from the bathroom with a new haircut and new clothes to match. Allison was incredibly pleased with herself as she led him to the food court, almost skipping the entire way there. They got a soft pretzel to share, and then settled in a corner booth – the perfect vantage point for people watching. “All right loser, here’s what you’ve been waiting for.” Allison said, holding her hand out expectantly.

Neil sighed, pulled off his leather glove, and held her hand. Nothing happened immediately, the world around them seemed just as crowded and normal as before despite the warmth of power that was trickling into his system. Allison directed his attention to an elderly couple in a booth nearby, plates of Chinese food sitting in front of them both. “How likely is it that the old guy’s going to choke on his next mouthful?”

Neil, in light of the absurdity of the question, stared at Allison like she was crazy. _How likely was it that Allison’s powers were complete bullshit?_ A percentage shot into his mind almost immediately. “0%” he said, at the same time Allison said “75%”

“Oh!” Neil let go of Allison’s hand as the realization hit him, “I was thinking of a different question, sorry.” Soon enough, the old man in the booth next to them started coughing. His wife reached over and patted his back, but he was already taking a sip of water and laughing at himself. Allison gave Neil a questioning look, but he waved his hand dismissively, “Never mind, give me a different one.”

Allison eyed him suspiciously, but searched the crowd for another victim. “How likely is it that that kid over there drops his ice cream?” She pointed, but Neil was already crunching the numbers in his head as his eyes found the small child in the crowd.

He winced, “98%. Poor kid.” Allison nodded derisively and they both watched as the child tripped, his ice cream falling to the ground in a predictable fashion. Well, as predictable as Neil and Allison predicted it to be.

“You give me a situation, and I’ll tell you how likely that situation is. The closer the event, the clearer the percentage.” Allison explained, tearing off a piece of their pretzel and chewing on it. “Comes in handy at the casino.”

Neil huffed out a laugh. Allison’s power was anything but a party trick.

“The only thing is, you can’t use it on yourself. Try asking how likely it is that you’ll die in the next year.” Allison said, her eyes flashing a hint of something dangerous, something knowing.

“How likely am I to die in the next year?” Neil said, almost a whisper. It was a double-edged question, meant for both him and Allison. His heart beat faster as the seconds ticked by, a percentage on the tip of his tongue but it was invisible, cloudy as if it was hiding from him.

“Hmmm, don’t want to ruin the surprise now do we?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

By the time Neil and Allison arrived back at Palmetto it was already late afternoon. Allison waved him off, saying something about meeting Seth for dinner, and Neil found himself heading back to the dorm. He was hoping no one was in the room, his busy day with Allison warranted a nap in his comfy bed while Seth was occupied, but as he approached their open door he heard a voice speaking in furious French.

He hurriedly hid himself as close to the door as he could without being discovered, and eavesdropped on Kevin’s one-sided phone conversation. French was a language that had come easily to him, like a second skin, whereas it was more of a struggle for his mother. They left France in a hurry and moved to Germany soon afterwards, but the language stuck with him all these years.

“You can’t be serious, Jean!” Kevin hissed, pacing back and forth. He was obviously agitated, and the French only furthered Neil’s belief that the conversation was not meant to be heard. “He hates the banquet, there’s no way— I understand that, Jean, but what changed his mind?”

Kevin paused as Jean responded. “…No, you know I’m not going back there and he knows it too— _fuck_  Jean I can’t—“

There was a loud _thump_ against the wall that Neil was leaning against. Kevin had thrown his phone, but knowing that didn’t help Neil’s erratic heartbeat calm down any further. He thought about leaving, heading back downstairs as if he hadn’t heard the conversation, but he was holding multiple shopping bags and they would only make more noise if he retreated without the sound of angry French to mask his footfalls. He sucked in a breath and knocked hesitantly on the open door.

He received no answer, so he quietly shuffled into the room, unsure of what he’d find. What he found was Kevin, lying on the couch and nursing a bottle of vodka. Andrew was also in the room, which shouldn’t have surprised Neil but he found himself tensing at his presence nonetheless. His arms were crossed, his indifferent gaze tracking Neil as he slowly walked over to his bed to set the bags down.

“Neil.” Kevin stirred, sitting up on the couch and taking a swig of vodka. His eyes were dead, misty as if he was on the verge of tears. His shoulders were slumped, and he was showing the first sign of weakness Neil had seen since coming to the mutant school. “Riko’s coming to Palmetto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first things first, [Saul](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Saul) made gorgeous fanart for this fic ---> [LOOKITSBEAUTIFUL](https://unkingly.tumblr.com/post/146555208379/he-pulled-one-of-his-leather-gloves-off-and-snap)
> 
> Also, here's Allison - she's precious please protect her with your life


	11. Chapter 11

Neil was calm. He had to be calm. His mind was racing at a million miles an hour, but he needed to be calmer than Kevin. That was his goal. “Why?”

“The banquet. Every year the mutant schools around the country meet up for dinner, dancing, what have you. Edgar Allan participates, but usually Riko stays out of it.” Kevin managed to keep his voice steady, but his death grip on the bottle of vodka he was nursing said enough. “My old teammate just called to warn me that Riko’s going to make an appearance. They’re hosting the banquet at Palmetto at the beginning of the school year.”

Neil let out the breath he had been holding. This didn’t mean that Riko knew who he was. Maybe he was just after Kevin. “What are you going to do?”

“What am _I_ going to do? What are _you—_ “ Kevin cut himself off immediately as Andrew shifted to face him. Neil could feel _danger danger danger_ rolling off of him in waves, directed right at Kevin. Neil kept an eye on Andrew’s armbands, where he knew the knives were stored; ready for action, for violence.

“Oh? I didn’t know you were so concerned for Neil’s wellbeing,” Andrew smiled. It was a feral, dangerous thing that served as a warning. _Tell the truth or I’ll gut you_. Neil swallowed.

“I’m… not.” Kevin said, but it came out sounding like a question, the _not_ lifting half an octave higher. Andrew inched closer, the tension in his shoulders increasing tenfold. His smile grew wider, manic. Neil needed to fix this.

“Andrew. Not now.” He said it softly, like a plea. It wasn’t meant to be an order, but it must’ve come out like one. Andrew’s attention drifted to Neil, irritation and anger replacing the amused expression he had before. He stalked forward, stopping just an inch away from where Neil stood. _Danger danger danger._ Neil forged on. “We do this on our terms, no one else’s. I thought you were enjoying the game.”   

Andrew’s face turned blank, assessing the boy that stood a hair’s breath away from him. Neil couldn’t read anything in his eyes. They were simply hazel, empty, devoid of life. They were familiar. “Kevin is under my protection. You’re proving yourself to be dangerous, Neil.” It was a threat, and definitely not an empty one.

Neil’s eyes flickered over to Kevin, who was now downing the rest of the vodka bottle. “Tomorrow. You ask, I’ll tell.” By that point he might have a believable lie to tell Andrew and Kevin might be sober enough to remember it.

Andrew’s smile was back, clearly amused again. “More like I ask, you lie. Kevin, why don’t you text Nicky and Aaron. Tell them we’re going out tomorrow night.”

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the night seemed to go more in Neil’s favor, as Andrew dragged Kevin out of the room for another alcohol run and Neil was able to get in a couple hours of sleep before the upperclassmen returned to the dorm. He was surprised that he missed his comforter, an amenity that he would’ve never allowed himself to have when he was on the run. It still smelled clean, like lavender laundry soap, probably because Neil had only slept in it twice.

He slept in the locker room again. It was something he had done back in Millport to limit suspicion, but it quickly became a survival tactic after Seth attacked him in their dorm. He didn’t know how permanent his sleeping arrangements were, but he knew that his nightmares were not welcome in a dorm with six other people there to witness them.

He stretched out his arms and legs and rubbed the kinks out of his neck while the foxes slowly made their way onto the field. He was wearing the exercise clothes that Allison had bought him the other day, and he caught sight of her satisfied grin as she sidled up next to Seth. Renee smiled sweetly while Dan gave him an approving once-over. He tried his best to ignore Nicky’s gaping mouth.

Neil was paired with Aaron this time around, but he quickly lost track of the twin after Wymack left them to pair off.

Matt whistled lowly, “Aaron isn’t very cooperative. Coach should’ve expected him to run off as soon as the pairs were announced.”

Neil shrugged, “I already know his power, but it would be nice to give it a test run someday.” Invisibility would be beyond helpful in his situation, but it just had to be Neil’s luck that the mutation belonged to someone completely unapproachable.

Matt dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He waved it at Neil. “You ready to get pummeled again?”

Neil smiled, but it wasn’t predatory and it wasn’t his father’s smile. He was genuinely happy. He turned around and regarded Allison, who was walking with Dan to a corner of the court. “Hey Allison!” He shouted, “What are the odds that I beat Matt today?”

She turned around, startled but still as graceful as ever. She stuck her tongue out, “You don’t stand a chance.” The few foxes that had heard the exchange were staring at Neil with shocked expressions, his quiet and antisocial façade slowly melting away. He was too excited to care.

Allison was right, as always. Matt had him on the ground more times than Neil cared to admit. They were sweaty and breathing hard when Wymack finally shuffled everyone into the locker room for much needed showers. Neil hesitated to enter the shower room, even the knowledge that there were stalls didn’t deter him from being overly cautious. He sat down on the bench and pretended to rifle through his duffel bag until he heard the shower heads turn off one by one.

He went through the motions of stripping down, the small dimensions of the shower stall inhibiting his movements. Neil showered quickly, all the while thanking the heavens that he didn’t have claustrophobia on top of his many issues. He poked and prodded at the fresh bruises that had formed over top the old ones, lining his stomach and connecting his scars like a distasteful art piece. Maybe he would go see Abby. One touch on the bruise blossoming on his wrist would probably give him enough juice to heal the ones on his abdomen.

He was entertaining the thought as he dried off and dressed quickly, ignoring the way that his clothes clung to his steaming and still-wet body. He walked back into the locker room and stopped short when he saw who was waiting for him.

“Andrew told me you’d still be here,” Nicky smiled sheepishly, his hands worrying at the plastic shopping bag in his lap. “He wanted me to give you these. For tonight.” He held out the shopping bag, but eventually stood up and walked it over to Neil when he saw that Neil wasn’t moving.

Neil opened the bag and saw a sea of black fabric. “I have my own clothes.”

“Yeah, I saw that. Allison did a good job by the way, tight clothes really suit you.” Nicky said, his voice dipping and a lascivious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “But Andrew already bought these for you. Seriously Neil, he never buys anyone anything. Ever. You should wear them.”

Neil sighed and stuffed the bag of clothes into his duffel bag. When he made to leave, Nicky stuck his arm out to stop him, “One more thing. Andrew says to ditch the contacts.” He smiled guiltily. Neil tensed, his back rigid, but he refused to react. Andrew had already made it clear that he knew Neil’s eyes weren’t actually brown, but the striking color that lay underneath the contacts would make anyone look twice. Neil clenched his fists, counted to ten, and then exited the locker room.

 

* * *

 

 

Blue eyes stared at him. Icy, painfully clear, menacing blue eyes. The piercing color had never belonged to him, and they never would. They belonged to his father, a man who never hesitated to chop up someone who even slightly inconvenienced him, and his own son wasn’t an exception. Neil hadn’t seen his father’s eyes for years, always quick to cover them up with contacts or to hide his face from any reflective surface. Now, staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror was just as painful as staring into the face of his father. He quickly looked away and swallowed the bile that was building in his throat. He stared at his hands for what seemed like a decade, willing them to stop shaking. He sighed, squared his shoulders, and walked out of the bathroom.

Andrew, Nicky, Kevin, and Aaron were waiting for him, sprawled out on and around the couch in their makeshift living room. Nicky appraised him openly, his mouth hanging open for the second time that day. Neil was wearing the clothes Andrew had bought, a black tight-fitted long sleeved shirt, black leather gloves, black skinny jeans, and black boots. Black, black, black. Complete with his black-dyed hair, Neil’s light blue eyes had never been more striking.

Andrew stood up, signaling to the rest of them that it was time to leave. He barely glanced Neil’s way, and when he did it was to indicate their seating arrangement in the car. Kevin and Nicky claimed the passenger and driver’s seats whereas Aaron, Neil, and Andrew piled into the back. Neil was forced into the middle seat, the arrangement made him nervous but he swallowed his panic as soon as Andrew followed after him. Neil was aware of his unwavering, assessing gaze the entire time Nicky was pulling out of the parking lot.

“What?” Neil hissed, annoyed at the sudden attention. He was irritated with Andrew, irritated with his father’s eyes, and irritated at his present situation. His irritation didn’t help much with his self-preservation skills.

Andrew’s hand shot up without warning, landing on the top of Neil’s head. Neil flinched back, but Aaron refused to budge and he found himself trapped between the two Minyard’s. Andrew’s fingers sifted through the curls that hung over Neil’s forehead, the gesture seemingly intimate until he tightened his hold. He forced Neil’s head back, exposing his throat, and positioned himself so he could stare blankly into Neil’s very blue, very unguarded eyes. Every nerve ending on Neil’s head screamed, begging for relief from Andrew’s unforgiving grip.

They stayed like that until Nicky found the on ramp for the highway, blue eyes staring into hazel. Both were challenging, assessing, analyzing. Finally, Andrew found whatever he was looking for and relaxed his hold on Neil’s bangs. His head was numb from Andrew’s grip, but a couple minutes of rubbing feeling back into his scalp helped immensely. He didn’t ask for an explanation because he knew Andrew wouldn’t give one, and curiosity was a dangerous thing.  

Nicky, clearly uncomfortable, turned on the radio. They listened to high, nasally voices and lengthy guitar riffs for the rest of the hour long drive, the silence between the five passengers broken only when Nicky needed directions from Andrew.

They stopped at a restaurant, the bright neon sign indicating that it was called Sweeties and that they had the best ice cream in the nation. The group was greeted by the staff with familiarity, which made Neil think the restaurant was a common hotspot. He eyed the ice cream set in front of him with suspicion and idly picked at the strawberries that perched on the top of a mound of whipped cream. He watched as the server gave them extra napkins, an action which visibly brightened Aaron and Nicky’s expressions. Neil knew there was something hidden in the folds of the napkins, but didn’t see enough by the time Aaron had hurriedly snatched it up and stuffed it into his pockets. Andrew didn’t seem concerned, so Neil ignored it for now.

They piled back into the car after filling up on ice cream and Nicky proceeded to drive them further into the city. They stopped at a club called Eden’s Twilight, a large building that seemed fit for the party scene in Las Vegas. A line of people curved out from the front entrance all the way to the back of the building, each person decked out in black, scandalous outfits. Neil felt like his outfit was pretty plain in comparison. Andrew got out of the car and greeted the bouncer with a familiar and friendly handshake, earning a bright orange parking pass in return. He passed it to Nicky as the rest of them piled out to enter the club, and Nicky obediently drove off to find a spot in the club’s underground parking garage.  

The club was loud, attacking every one of Neil’s senses like a battering ram to the head. Smoke, perfume, and alcohol mixed together to form a cloud of haze, coupled with loud music and a beat that hammered throughout Neil’s skull and caused him to wince. Andrew led him, Kevin, and Aaron through the crowd, searching for an open table near the bar. They finally found one, outfitted with three stools and a sticky tabletop. Neil didn’t get a chance to relax before Andrew had slipped a finger into his shirt collar and dragged him away, back through the chaos they had just broken out of.

A bartender spotted them after a couple minutes, his face lighting up as soon as he laid eyes on Andrew. “Andrew! It’s been awhile,” his smile was broad, as if he was genuinely happy to see the angry blonde. “Who’s this?”

“Nothing.” Andrew replied, his voice as bored as always. Neil didn’t take offense, it wasn’t the worst thing he could’ve been referred to.

“Nice to meet you nothing, the name’s Roland,” The bartender, Roland, started pouring drinks and setting them on a tray. “What’ll it be?”

Neil shook his head, “I don’t drink.” Roland pouted, and reached below the counter for an unopened can of soda. Neil smiled back at him, relieved that he wouldn’t have to put up a fight. He didn’t like being drunk, alcohol being a last resort when stitching up wounds or setting bones. He liked being in control of his mouth and his body, and he definitely wanted to be in control of himself tonight.   

As soon as Roland was done filling drinks, Andrew lifted the tray with practiced ease and led the way back to their table. Neil grabbed his soda and drank it slowly, the mix of caffeine and sugar would probably take a nasty toll on his body after not drinking it for a number of years. He watched as Kevin upended drink after alcoholic drink, his main goal apparent; forget about Riko, forget about the banquet, forget about everything. Aaron took a few drinks of his own and eventually pulled out the contents of his pockets, setting them in the middle of the table. Tiny packets of yellow dust littered the table, and Neil huffed in annoyance as he recognized them for what they were; recreational drugs.

“Cracker dust. It’s a party drug,” Nicky explained, grabbing a packet and upending it into his open mouth. He grabbed another and held it out to Neil. Neil shook his head, letting his irritation show on his face.

“Drugs are stupid,” he murmured, glaring at Kevin as he poured the substance into his drink.

Suddenly Neil was drenched, his hair matted down to his forehead and the thick smell of whiskey permeating his nose. He opened his eyes to see Andrew, empty glass in hand and an indifferent expression on his face. “Oops,” he said, completely void of any emotion. Neil glared, gathering the end of his sleeve into a fist and wiping the whiskey from his eyes. The alcohol stung as it found open wounds beneath his wet shirt.

As if on cue, Nicky quickly clambered off his chair and grabbed Neil’s elbow, his other hand still holding onto his drug-laced drink. “I’ll take you to the bathroom to get that cleaned up.”  Neil acquiesced, if only to get away from Andrew’s crazy antics for awhile, and followed Nicky into the crowd of pulsating bodies.

Neil realized a bit too late that they weren’t actually heading to the bathroom. Nicky had a death grip on his elbow and he was being led to the center of the dance floor, the beat digging into his brain and causing him to lose focus on the throngs of people dancing around them. Neil narrowly avoided being jostled by a nearby dancer, every signal in his body telling him to leave the crowd and find some solitude. What if there was another mutant in the crowd? What if he just so happened to brush up against them, skin on skin, and hurt someone? He was on the verge of panic, the edges of his vision turning black and his breath coming out in strangled gasps. That was when Nicky tightened his grip, pulled him in close, and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please forgive Nicky he doesn't know any better   
> (ok he knows better jfc Nicky what gives i didn't raise you like this??)
> 
> I'm super excited to write the next chapter so expect it to come soon (like. soon soon.)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Mentions of sexual assault**  
>  Please please please send me an ask on [tumblr](http://welliefox.tumblr.com/) if you would like a chapter summary.

Neil was thrown off balance. He clutched at Nicky’s sleeves, attempting to either push him away or to help regain his footing. A strong liquid filled his mouth and dribbled off his chin, the underlying taste of vodka and strawberry giving way to the sweetness of cracker dust. Nicky’s tongue, vodka, cracker dust, and an overwhelming flow of power brought Neil to the brink of panic. He scratched angry red lines down Nicky’s forearms, but Nicky wasn’t releasing his hold and was only deepening the kiss. Neil counted down from ten, and when he reached halfway Nicky finally went up for air.

As the kiss broke, sounds of the club attacked Neil’s senses once again. The bass pounded in his ears, abruptly pulling him back to reality. He gasped for air and found his feet under him, the lights of the club illuminating different sections of writhing bodies in black clothing. Even though his body was now pulsing with Nicky’s power, Neil had never felt so powerless.

“Oh fuck,” Neil looked up and found Nicky staring down at him, equal parts worry and dread crumpling his face. “Oh fuck oh fuck _oh fuck_.” His voice cracked on the last couple of _oh fucks_. He reached out and grabbed Neil’s shoulders, shaking him to gain his undivided attention. “Neil, you need to turn it off. Like a tap, all right?” he was on the edge of hysteria, frantically looking around at the massive amount of people surrounding them.

“I—I can’t,” Neil had never practiced with Nicky’s mutation, but the knowledge that they were in a room full of people that could attack him at any moment had him attempting to cut off the power as if it was really that easy. Neil could feel them watching, waiting to pounce like wolves on a carcass. He shivered, remembering the feeling of helplessness from when he was a child, not knowing when they were going to find him, when his father was going to finally give in and kill him. He slowly looked around and matched gazes. They were mostly men. Hungry, ravenous, faceless men. Wolves. The music continued to thrum around them, a techno infused beat that was competing with the frantic pounding of Neil and Nicky’s matching pulses.

Neil tried everything. He visualized a tap shutting off, the plug being pulled, the power button being held down like he was suffocating it with a pillow. Nothing was working, and his thoughts were starting to get hazy. His vision swam and his legs felt like they would give out on him any second. The drugs were starting to affect his system. _Dammit Nicky_. He swatted at Nicky’s hands, still holding onto his shoulders like a vice. “Go get Andrew. Now.”

Nicky looked at him like he was crazy, “I’m not leaving you here, there are people everywhere! They’re looking at you like you’re a piece of steak, Neil. You don’t know…” his voice trailed off, his eyes darting around the crowd frantically, fear evident in his voice and posture.

Neil sucked in a breath and squared his shoulders, “Nicky. _Now_.”

“I—“ Nicky hesitated, his grip on Neil’s shoulders loosening. He searched Neil’s face, and whatever he saw convinced him to let go completely and take a step back.

Neil watched as Nicky ran, disappearing into a sea of strangers. A sea of wolves.  

* * *

 

“He is pretty cute though,” Roland poured Andrew another whiskey and slid it over to where he was sitting at the bar. When Andrew simply stared back at him, he clarified, “your ‘nothing.’”

Andrew rolled his eyes and took a sip of whiskey. The club was ridiculously crowded and he was itching to get back to their table, where Kevin and Aaron sat nursing their drinks. Everything was going according to plan so far and he just needed a signal from Nicky before he could find Neil on the dance floor and begin his interrogation. “His name is Neil, and he’s not mine.”

Roland clucked his tongue, “Now see, that is true. Try not to scare him off, Andrew.”

_It might be too late for that_ Andrew thought as he gathered the tray of drinks and headed for their table. The scene that greeted him was nothing short of chaotic. Nicky was back, his eyes wild and his chest heaving as if he had just ran five miles. Kevin was halfway out of his seat, a similar expression of bewilderment on his face. Aaron looked between the two, confused but not unsettled. He was probably the highest out of all of them right now. Kevin and Nicky paused mid-action as Andrew approached.

“Andrew, oh thank god,” Nicky huffed, every line of tension in his body working its way underneath Andrew’s skin. Something was wrong. “Neil needs your help. Now. I might’ve accidentally touched him and—“

Andrew didn’t hear the end of his sentence as he was too busy setting the tray of drinks on their table (none too gently) and slamming Nicky up against the metal railing. The sound of glass bottles hitting the floor and shattering in his fit of violence didn’t deter Andrew from focusing on not strangling the life out of his cousin. “Where?”

Nicky whimpered, a small, pathetic sound. He jerked his chin towards the dance floor, where the crowd of bodies was the thickest. “I told you to drug him, not serve him up on a silver platter.” Andrew hissed, already backing away from Nicky and grabbing the collar of Kevin’s shirt, “Meet us outside. Don’t you dare go anywhere else but straight to the car.”

Kevin nodded obediently and sent a whithering look to the dance floor. Whatever they were to each other, Kevin didn’t care enough about Neil to disobey Andrew. Or maybe he wasn’t worried. Whichever it was, Andrew didn’t have the convenience of time to ask. He sent one last glare Nicky’s way, as if to say _I’ll talk to you later_ and then pushed through the outer walls of the crowd.

The bodies around him were dancing, pulsating to the beat of the music that swarmed and consumed the dance floor. Andrew didn’t care for this section of Eden’s Twilight, where the alcohol and people watching were thrown to the side in favor of dancing to subpar music and writhing up against strangers that you might go home with and never see again. He hated how just his presence in the crowd made him seem more vulnerable, more open to attacks from all sides. More open to touching.

He ignored these thoughts as a subtle change overtook the crowd around him. People were still dancing, but their eyes were trained on something else. Andrew followed their gazes to the far wall, where a crowd of twenty or more people were gathered. They were all turned towards a specific spectacle, but Andrew was too short to see exactly what they were watching. He could only fight his way through the crowd and keep from guessing the worst.

The first thing he saw were a pair of piercing, bright blue eyes. They were cloudy and unfocused, but they still caught Andrew off guard as if he were seeing them for the first time. Right then, however, they were emotionless, dead. Filled to the brim with guarded indifference. They were familiar.

The second thing Andrew saw was his grin. It was menacing, and Andrew knew he was looking at the _other_ Neil that he had met in the locker room and in the dorm after pulling him off of Seth. It was a deadly expression, promising danger and ferocity that was so unlike the timid Neil Josten that he had come to know and despise.

The third thing he noticed was the spray of blood covering Neil’s front. Andrew didn’t know the source of it, but by the look of fear on the faces surrounding them and by the very broken nose of the man crowding into Neil’s space, Andrew could guess whose blood it actually was. _Neil was beyond dangerous_. Yeah, Kevin definitely was not worried.

“ _You little bitch_ ,” Broken-nose guy hissed. He grabbed Neil by the hair and smacked his head against the wall, causing a resounding _thump_ that made more than a couple people in the crowd gasp. “You should learn how to take a compliment. Now, let’s try this again—how would _you_ like to get on _your knees_ and—“

Andrew had a knife to his throat before the disgusting man could complete his sentence. Broken-nose guy made a small, strangled noise as Andrew drew the knife downwards, breaking skin as he went. “Oh no no _no_ , I’m sorry. Please keep going, I’m sure he’ll change his mind about going home with you the minute you finish that sentence.” Andrew’s voice was sickeningly sweet, a dangerous match with the grin Neil had on before. The man didn’t continue, just as Andrew predicted, and he cried out so spectacularly when Andrew’s knife found its way to his broken nose. Broken-profusely-bleeding-nose guy crumpled to the floor at his feet.

Andrew prodded at the guy with the tip of his boot, then turned to one of the bystanders. “I would call the police,” he told them in a bored tone, turning around to assess the damage. Neil was on the floor, no doubt knocked unconscious by the hit he took earlier. That mixed with the drugs in his system would send anyone to sleep. Andrew crouched down and placed a couple fingers beneath his jawline, feeling for a pulse while simultaneously negating the rest of Nicky’s power. His pulse was steady, a soft beat which indicated that he hadn’t taken too many drugs and that he probably didn’t have much of a concussion.

Andrew reached into his jeans pocket and dug out his phone. He ignored how much his fingers trembled as he flipped it open and found Kevin’s number. “Change of plans. I need you to help me get Neil out of here. Preferably quickly, the police are on their way.” He hung up before Kevin’s curses and Nicky’s shocked cry could annoy him any further. He really was in a bad mood now.

 

* * *

 

 

Neil woke up in a daze. His head hurt, his throat was sore, and his movements were sluggish. He shielded his eyes from the sun crashing in through the living room windows, his headache growing exponentially worse as the morning dragged on. He quickly catalogued last night’s events and tucked them away to the recesses of his mind; he would deal with his panic attack later thank you very much. He was dressed in the same clothes as the night before, the smell of whiskey still strong, now accompanied by sweat. He peeked up over his arm, taking in his surroundings as he fought down the bile in his throat. He was in a house, most likely located in Columbia as he remembered some of the car ride last night and it hadn’t taken them an hour to get back. It was sparsely decorated, the white curtains, tv, and couch were the only furnishings in the living room and there were no extra trinkets or storage containers anywhere. So they might be squatting. Great.

“Oh, Neil’s awake. Morning Neil,” Nicky’s bright voice dug into his head, sharp pain erupting at the base of his skull. Neil winced. “Oops, sorry, forgot you might have a headache,” his voice dropped to a whisper. Neil sat up and regarded Nicky standing in the entryway of the kitchen, he was smiling and holding a plate of pancakes. It was almost too much.

“Nicky, leave Neil alone before he murders you.” Andrew’s voice drifted in from the kitchen, accompanied by a slamming refrigerator door. 

Nicky’s face crumpled, looking like he was on the verge of tears. He took a couple deep breaths and gathered himself before turning to face Neil fully. “I’m really sorry about last night. I completely forgot about well… about everything and I’m sorry that I touched you. It was an accident.” His voice dropped down to a whisper again, his hands nervously clenching around the plate. “Please don’t… mention _that_ to Andrew. I really shouldn’t have done it but I think Andrew might kill me if he finds out.” He was pleading, bright tears threatening to fall at the corners of his eyes. Neil sighed and nodded, he didn’t care much about the kiss itself. He was more concerned about the drugging, and he knew that Nicky wasn’t the one who orchestrated it. Nicky smiled and wiped a hand across his face, catching the tears on his sleeve.

Andrew appeared in the entryway as Nicky retreated to the dining room. Neil caught sight of Aaron and Kevin joining him before Andrew waved a hand in his face. “You, kitchen, now.” He demanded. Neil rolled his eyes and followed the small blonde into the kitchen. The open cupboards were stocked and crumbs littered the counter, and seeing as how comfortable Nicky and Andrew were in the house Neil concluded that they were not, in fact, squatting.

“Whose house?” He asked, mindful to stay out of Andrew’s way as he rifled through the contents of the cupboards. He seemed satisfied when he pulled out a box of sugary cereal.

“Ours.” Andrew answered.

Neil leaned against the counter as Andrew went about pouring his cereal. Everything about the morning seemed incredibly mundane compared to last night’s events. “You know, you could’ve just asked instead of drugging me."

Andrew glared at him over his bowl, “You’re literally the poster child for weaseling your way out of things. I knew you wouldn’t tell me the truth if I just _asked_.”

Neil shrugged. He was tired, his head hurt, and he was trying his best to ignore how nauseous he felt at the moment. He didn’t feel like fighting with Andrew, but it seemed like all he could ever do was fight with Andrew. “I thought it was my turn.”

“That doesn’t apply. Not here. Give me one good reason not to gut you with all twelve of these steak knives.” Andrew gestured to the wooden knife block on the counter, his tone broking no argument. 

Neil eyed the knives wearily. After his run-in with the man last night that matched his father’s age group, Neil really didn’t want to see the gleam of a knife right then. His stomach was doing somersaults and his vision was starting to swim. He sighed, there was only one way to end this conversation, and he had already resolved the moment Nicky’s tongue invaded his mouth last night that he wasn’t escaping without giving something up. “The Moriyama’s wanted me for my mutation. I ran away with my mom before I was recruited, but not before meeting Kevin and Riko. We met briefly, sparred a bit, and then went our separate ways.”

Andrew hummed, “So the big bad Moriyama’s are after both you and Kevin.”

“And apparently you think you’re big enough to stop them.” Neil spat, crossing his arms. It was all he could do to hold himself together.

Andrew ignored the jab at his height and took another bite of cereal. “Riko is pathetic without his shadows.” 

“Kevin doesn’t seem to think so, given how much alcohol he’s been downing the past couple of days.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes, “And Kevin is pathetic without Riko. In order to get what I want, I need Kevin to stay at Palmetto. You’re going to help me keep him here.”

“And how do you think I’ll manage that?” Neil didn’t like where this conversation was going. Andrew set his bowl on the counter next to Neil and invaded his space, breaths mingling inches away from each other.

“Your mutation is strong enough to keep Riko’s attention. Keep his eyes on you long enough for me to hit him where it hurts.” Andrew gritted his teeth, something dark passing behind his hazel eyes. Neil _really_ didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“I can’t do that. The Moriyama’s will know who I am the minute they see what I can do.” _And if the Moriyama’s know, his father will know._ Neil’s hands were shaking where they clutched the counter, all of his attention focused on keeping his breathing steady and fighting the black edges from encroaching on his vision.

“I told you that I can protect Kevin. I can extend that protection to you, in exchange for this.” Andrew motioned between them, a small gesture seeing as how close they were. Neil wanted to laugh. Andrew wouldn’t stand a chance against the largest crime syndicate in the world, let alone their army of powerful mutants. Neil had been dealing with their resources and his father’s resources since birth, he knew how far their reach extended and how much it would actually take to spit on the ground they walked on. For some reason Kevin seemed to think that Andrew was powerful enough, was a big enough force to offer safety. Neil regarded the small blonde in front of him, he didn’t actually know how Andrew’s powers worked and he seemed confident enough to offer protection to this runaway that he barely knew. Andrew was either an idiot or a self destructive genius, and Neil didn’t know which one he preferred.

His father wasn't a mutant, so Andrew’s powers were useless against him. But his father was in jail. 

And Riko was a threat, imminent, and very very real. He was going to be at the banquet, and Neil couldn’t afford to remain vulnerable.

It’s unpredictable, it’s stupid, and it’s _Andrew_ , but Neil knew he was going to take the offer. Andrew knew it too. 

Neil sighed and hid his trembling hands behind his back, “You win.” 

Andrew nodded and backed away, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Neil clenched his fists and all but ran out of the kitchen, his body finally giving way to the panic that was roiling in his gut since the night before. His breaths were coming out in ragged, pathetic gasps, and he caught whiffs of the whiskey still soaked into his shirt. It was all he could do to hold in everything before flinging open the bathroom door and puking into the toilet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bahhh sorry this is really late in the day - my word processor failed on me halfway through the chapter
> 
> don't worry, Nicky's not completely off the hook


	13. Chapter 13

Puking came as a painful relief. It was familiar, and Neil simply went through the motions until his stomach heaved and nothing else came out. His eyes prickled with tears, a reaction to his body’s efforts and the panic that was clawing its way up his throat. He leaned back against the vanity and clenched his fists, his nails forming angry, red crescent moons on the palms of his hands. He counted to ten in his head, then twenty, then thirty. He tried counting in every language he knew, but his breathing refused to even out. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the man from last night, the man that looked too much like his father.

He reached up and pulled on his bangs, attempting to ground himself in the present. He welcomed the pain with gritted teeth and began counting again. By the time he reached  _ sept  _ while counting up in French, he found that his breaths were evening out and he could focus on the inane grey tiles  of the bathroom floor. He sat next to the toilet for another couple of minutes, counting his pulse and making sure that it was steady enough, before hoisting himself to his feet and cataloguing his surroundings.

The shower had everything he needed, from fancy hair products to scented soaps. There was a bundle of black clothes on the toilet lid, most likely Andrew’s given the blonde’s predilection towards the color. Neil stripped out of his smelly clothes and threw his shirt over the vanity mirror. He wasn’t wearing his contacts at the moment and his father’s eyes would do nothing for his rapid heart rate. Plus his scars always elicited unwanted feelings of terror, and he currently wasn’t in the mood for another panic attack.

The shower felt amazing, the smell of stale whiskey replaced by fruity perfumes. Neil dried off and put on the clothes that Andrew had provided. The thick sweatshirt was broad on his shoulders, the sleeves threatening to swallow his hands unless he rolled up the cuffs a couple times. The jeans fit his hips and legs perfectly, however. He still felt nauseous and his hands shook as he opened the door to the bathroom, but at least he could keep a lid on his panic for the time being. He left the smelly shirt hanging over the bathroom mirror; Andrew could deal with it.

He found the others huddled in the living room, most of them awake and bright-eyed with the exception of Kevin. He looked like a dead man walking, most likely hungover from the night before. He refused to meet Neil’s eyes as he joined them. 

As soon as Andrew decided to leave his room, they all went outside to load up into the sports car. Andrew took the car keys from Nicky and pointed his cousin towards the back seat. Nicky ducked his head and obeyed while Kevin immediately went for the passenger seat. Neil tensed as he realized the seating arrangements. The last thing he wanted right then was to be sitting next to Nicky for an hour long car drive. Before he could protest however, he watched as Andrew closed the passenger side door in Kevin’s face.

“Back seat.” He commanded.

“But-- “ Kevin sputtered, but Andrew’s unflinching gaze barred no argument. Kevin hunched his shoulders and sent Neil a vicious glare before scrunching in beside Aaron and Nicky. Neil rolled his eyes as Andrew rounded the hood and flopped into the driver’s seat. He wasn’t going to argue, the passenger seat was a lot comfier and spacious than sharing the backseat with two other mutants. 

Neil curled up and found himself drifting to sleep before Andrew even got on the highway. The vibration of the car and the silence of its passengers guaranteed a restful nap before they got back to campus. He ignored the warning in the back of his head attempting to remind him that he was surrounded by predators. Exhaustion from the cracker dust still in his system, his conversation with Andrew, and the panic attack in the bathroom hit him all at once as he abandoned his consciousness and slept against the car window. 

Next thing he knew, Andrew was pulling into the parking lot next to their dorm. No one said anything as they all piled out and split up. Andrew and his relatives headed for the main campus while Neil started walking for the dorm, Kevin hot on his heels. Kevin followed him halfway up the stairs before Neil got fed up with his annoying presence.

“What do you want to say?” Neil whirled around on the top step, almost causing Kevin to stumble. Neil took a moment to savor what it would be like to watch him fall down the stairs.

“What did you tell Andrew?”

Neil huffed out a laugh, “I told him that the Moriyama’s wanted me for my mutation and that I ran away with my mother before I could get recruited. Nothing else.”

“So he doesn’t know about-- “

“No. And I plan to keep it that way.” Neil cut him off before he could say  _ your father _ . 

Kevin scowled and backed down a step, “Andrew can’t keep his promise if he doesn’t know who he’s protecting you from. You better hope Riko doesn’t recognize you, or you’re done for.”

Neil rolled his eyes. Kevin somehow knew about their promise, but he must not have known the major details. “Are you telling me to be afraid of Riko? I’m pretty sure you have that covered for the both of us, Kevin.”

Kevin glared, it seemed to be his natural default expression whenever he looked at Neil. “Just be careful. You’re not the only one that will suffer if this all goes to shit.”  _ You don’t think I know that? _ Neil thought, but didn’t say. He ended the discussion by turning around and refusing to give Kevin an answer. Kevin huffed and stomped down the stairs in a flurry.

Neil looked around at the open space below him. At the top of the stairs he could see the wide expanse of the common room, rich woods and comfy armchairs reminding him of the house he had left behind in Baltimore. When he first arrived at Palmetto, he thought that the dark colors, old bookcases, and painted portraits made him feel warm and welcome, enclosed in a space that wasn’t stifling. Now he felt it, a weight settling on his shoulders that was threatening to squeeze him, strangling the air he breathed every moment he stood rooted to the spot. He thought of how busy and full of life the dorm had seemed when he had first walked through the double doors, children running around and teenagers studiously huddled in the large armchairs. Now it was empty, large and devoid of life as everyone seemed to be off campus for the weekend. 

Neil took in a lungful of air, held it, then released it in a measured breath. The mansion he had grown up in was lonely, painful, absent of anything even resembling love. He remembered every nook, every hiding spot that his young self had found in the hopes that he could stay hidden forever. He hadn’t taken the time to find a hiding spot at Palmetto, and Neil didn’t know if that was a comforting thought or not. 

“Neil?” A familiar voice jarred him out of his thoughts. Neil turned around and found Matt, peeking his head out of their dorm room, an expression of concern clouding his face. “Where were you last night man? I called Wymack and he said you weren’t at his place.”

Neil gathered himself and walked towards him, “I went out to Columbia with Andrew and the others.” He noticed Dan was also in their dorm room, a quick scan of the room revealing they were alone. 

“With the monsters? Are you okay?” Dan’s voice hitched up an octave, a hint that she was very concerned. Matt’s eyebrows were drawn together, his face pale.

Neil yawned, covering his mouth with his hand and stretching. “I’m fine.”

Matt joined Dan on the couch, the pair of them giving him matching stern looks. Neil figured they looked like a family from a sitcom, the rebellious teenager coming home from a night out while his parents waited for him in the living room, worried and furious. Neil never liked sitcoms, or TV shows in general. He didn’t find them very realistic.

“You’re not fine, you look like death. They didn’t do anything to you? Give you anything?” 

Neil scrunched his eyebrows, confused. “They gave me cracker dust, that’s all.” And some nasty power boost, but Neil would prefer to keep those particular memories buried. He didn’t know how much cracker dust Nicky had managed to worm into his mouth, but it wasn’t enough to make him forget the entire night. 

“Oh thank god,” Dan sighed in relief, her hand stroking up and down Matt’s back. “After what they did to Matt, I would’ve thought-- “ She didn’t finish her sentence, but Neil understood. He looked between them, not expecting an explanation but bracing himself for one all the same.

After a moment, Matt sighed and hiked up the sleeve of his sweatshirt, revealing an array of vertical lines stretching the length of the underside of his forearm. They were track marks.  _ Addict _ , Andrew had called him. “I grew up doing drugs, hard stuff. My dad kind of pressured me into it when I was young, it was supposed to help me fit in with his friends. I tried my best to be sober my first year here, at Palmetto, but one night in Columbia ruined it.”

“They gave him speedballs,” Dan said, a set scowl on her face, “he spent months trying to recover from that one night. It got him sober, but god… I never want you to go through that again.” She was looking at Matt then, one arm around his shoulders. Her eyes were full of affection but they were still hard, determined in the way that probably comforted Matt. 

Neil didn’t know what to say, but he was rescued by a knock on the open door. Renee popped her head in, a serene smile on her face. “I heard we were going to watch a movie as soon as Neil got back.”

Matt came to life, nodding enthusiastically. Neil didn’t know why he felt relieved that his roommate was back to his animated, joyful self, but he quickly dismissed the thought and sat on the floor next to Dan’s legs. Matt popped a movie into the DVD player while Renee called for pizza, and soon they were joined by a very irritated Allison. She plopped down on the carpet next to Neil, their knees knocking together. Neil flinched and held his breath, but nothing immediately happened. He watched as a tiny trickle of Allison’s power coursed through him, but it wasn’t enough to set his nerves on edge. He scooted away from her nonetheless.

“Upset that Wymack stole your boy?” Dan teased.

Allison huffed and refused to answer. “What movie are we watching?” 

“That’s a secret,” Matt answered, joining them in their huddle next to the couch. After the movie played for about half an hour, Neil recognized it as the movie everyone was watching the other night, the animated one. What was it called? Mulan? Neil looked over his shoulder at Dan. She returned his look with a wink.

Halfway through the movie someone’s phone started ringing. Dan groaned as everyone except for Neil looked at Renee. She gave them an apologetic smile, setting her pizza down gingerly before answering it. “Andrew?”

Neil blinked in surprise, the movie momentarily forgotten as everyone watched Renee with bated breath. Renee glanced at the clock on the wall, “Right now?” after a couple seconds she nodded and stood up, sending another smile their way. Neil thought it looked reassuring. As she exited the room, Neil heard her asking, “How old?” before her words were cut off by the door shutting behind her. 

Neil studied the faces around him. Dan looked upset, eyes furrowed, but she let out a sigh and returned her attention back to the movie. Matt and Allison sported indifferent expressions, but Neil could tell they were just as bothered by the unexpected phone call. Whatever Renee and Andrew’s relationship was, the other foxes didn’t take kindly to it. 

When the movie ended, Allison patted Neil’s head before standing up. He didn’t flinch this time, but he was mildly confused at the gesture. She ran her hands through his curls a couple times, flattening the strands that were apparently too unruly for her taste. Finally she gave her nod of approval and wished them goodnight. Neil let out the breath he was holding, relieved that Allison’s mutation required certain parameters before becoming dangerous.

Dan followed her out, giving Matt a kiss on the cheek before waving goodbye to Neil. He nodded at her retreating figure before standing up and gathering the scattered pizza boxes. Once he and Matt made the dorm room presentable again, he wandered over to his bed and grabbed his duffel bag, the familiar weight of it providing a sense of relief.  

“Why don’t you stay the night? It’s late.” Matt stood by the door, acting like he would rather force Neil back into bed than let him through. “I know you haven’t been sleeping at Wymack’s.”

Neil glanced nervously at the unoccupied beds, appearing nonplussed at the fact that his secret was revealed. He had spent three nights in the locker room this past week (with the exception of last night, which he had spent passed out on Andrew’s couch) in the fear that his nightmares would come back with a vengeance while holed up in a room with six other roommates. One of which wasn’t above waking him up with force. As if reading his mind, Matt said, “Seth isn’t coming back tonight, he left with Wymack yesterday afternoon for some kind of field trip.”

Neil thought about it. Andrew never seemed to be in the room let alone sleep in it at night, Aaron was usually holed up in the library until very early morning, and Nicky might be back soon but Neil didn’t view him as much of a threat as long as he stayed far away from him. Matt was harmless, Neil trusted him and much like Allison, his mutation wasn’t threatening without certain factors. He nodded and Matt gave him a satisfied smile in return. 

Neil threw his duffel bag under his bed after pulling out a loose shirt and his toothbrush. He waited outside the bathroom while Matt readied himself for bed, then followed suit as soon as Matt was done. He avoided the mirror as best he could while brushing his teeth and changing out of Andrew’s clothes, folding them neatly and stuffing them back into his duffel bag when he emerged from the bathroom. Matt kept the light on until Neil was settled in his bed.

His down comforter welcome him into its folds like an old friend. Neil breathed in the smell of laundry soap and wondered idly if Matt had washed it since his and Seth’s scuffle last week. He really didn’t know what Matt’s game was, if he was just stupidly nice or if there was a deeper motive behind his kind actions. Either way, the foxes made him uneasy in a way that made him feel unbalanced, like he was drowning in a sea of concern and friendliness. It was unfamiliar to him, much like how his bed felt; soft and warm and welcoming. He cursed the locker room’s hard, cold floors, but he knew that it provided what his bed and this dorm room could not; the perception of safety. 

Neil sighed and fell into a fitful sleep. He couldn’t help comparing his restlessness to how easily he had fallen asleep in Andrew’s car that same morning. Thinking about the soft vibrations of an engine and how the sun had warmed through Andrew’s black sweatshirt had him letting go entirely, surrendering himself to dreams of animated dragons, casual touches, and warm, cheesy pizza.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That last sentence was really cheesy im sorry (haha cheesy get it???)
> 
> What are Andrew and Renee doing? Ohohohohohohoooo
> 
> I planned to have this chapter out on Thursday, but then Pokemon Go consumed my life, my computer crashed, and someone threw a cat out of their moving vehicle right in front of me so of course i spent the whole night dealing with the police and animal control instead of writing


	14. Chapter 14

Neil woke up a little past six  in the morning. The sounds of breathing, snoring, and the lack of a hard wooden floor at his back jarred the sleepiness out of his system. He was used to sleeping in the outdoor locker room, and the harsh reality of a bed and comforter and a general lack of tiredness was so beyond the norm that he felt uncomfortable. 

He blinked a couple times and rubbed at his eyes, realizing that he had slept with his contacts still in. He didn’t like making a habit of it, but with how many people slept in his dorm room he might as well keep it up. He fished around under the bed and found the strap of his duffel bag, slinging it over one shoulder before carefully making his way to the bathroom. He did a quick sweep of the room before entering, and noticed that Nicky and Kevin had returned but not the twins. Did they ever sleep?

Careful to avoid his reflection, Neil dressed in Allison’s athletic clothes quickly and quietly. He was hoping to get in a run before the rest of the Foxes woke up, which likely wouldn’t be a problem since they all seemed to wake up roughly ten minutes before they needed to be on the field. 

His run lasted about an hour and a half, since he had made an effort to stop, stretch, and find a drinking fountain every now and then. When he finally made it back to the dorm room it was a little past 7:30 and Matt greeted him from the couch.

“Matt, it’s your turn to wake up Kevin. Andrew isn’t here and I do  _ not  _ want to be smothered with a pillow this early in the morning,” Nicky grumbled from the bathroom. Matt sighed and got up to rouse a snoring Kevin. Neil was halfway to the couch when the door opened behind him, revealing a winded and wide-eyed Aaron. He was still wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday.

“Andrew isn’t here right?” He asked, scanning the room. Neil shook his head, and Aaron visibly relaxed into his usual apathetic nature. He jogged over to his dresser and all but kicked Nicky out of the bathroom, shoving him out the door before Nicky could spit the rest of his toothpaste into the sink.

“Jesus christ Aaron, if you don’t want Andrew to find out maybe you should--” 

“I lost track of time, okay!” Aaron cut Nicky off mid-sentence, slamming the door in his face. Neil raised his eyebrows and Matt matched his look with equal amounts of confusion. That was definitely the most Neil had heard Aaron talk since he arrived at Palmetto, and it had something to do with keeping a secret from his twin. Maybe the siblings weren’t as close as Neil had previously thought.

Neil and Matt shared a protein bar while they watched Kevin walk laps around the dorm room. Apparently he was useless in the mornings, having to stay active while waiting for the bathroom so he wouldn’t fall asleep again. When Kevin disappeared to take a shower, Andrew finally made his appearance, leaning casually against the doorframe as if he hadn’t spent all night doing who knows what. 

As soon as Kevin sauntered out of the bathroom, they all gathered their things and headed for the field. Neil hung back with Matt while the monsters converged together, a companionable silence hanging over them as they met with the girls in the hallway and walked together across campus. Neil kept an eye out for other students walking around the grounds this early in the morning, but he only saw a few adults and a couple supervised children on a playground.

“Are students allowed to go home during the summer?” Neil mused, directing his question to the upperclassmen. 

“Oh yeah. Usually the ones who stay are the students that don’t have a home to go back to,” Dan answered, giving him a small smile, “Matt’s mom is doing house renovations, so while that’s being done I get to monopolize him all summer.”

Matt groaned as if her statement physically pained him. A second later they both erupted in giggles, Renee giggling lightly on the other side of Dan. “And Renee’s mom has relatives staying over for the summer, something about a family reunion, right?”

Renee nodded, “I have twelve little cousins that needed a room to stay in. I told mom I’d rather stay here with Allison and Dan than fight for my bedroom all summer.” 

Allison huffed, “You offered to sleep on the living room floor for those twerps. Luckily I was here to convince her otherwise.” Renee smiled at her as Dan nodded along. Neil tried to imagine Renee interacting with children, but failed. Something about her was too off-putting, too  _ dangerous _ , despite her seemingly calm nature. He tried to attribute the feeling to how powerful her mutation was, but couldn’t shake the fact that it was a part of her despite the mutation. 

It didn’t escape his notice that none of them mentioned Allison’s parents. He didn’t ask about them either.

They arrived at the field right on time, Wymack, Seth, and Abby already waiting for them by the locker room. Allison left Neil’s side to talk with Seth while the rest of the foxes went to change and stretch. As soon as they were done getting ready, the foxes converged around Wymack for his morning announcements. Neil tuned him out until he heard his name being mentioned.

“Neil, you’ll be with Nicky this morning. I don’t care what the hell you do, just keep it away from my court. I don’t need everyone gawking at Neil while he tries out Nicky’s mutation,” Wymack announced, giving Nicky a look before barrelling on, “You’ll do that for half of practice. The other half will be with Abby. Don’t think I didn’t notice those bruises on your neck, Josten.”

Neil’s hand flew to his neck, all too aware of the amount of eyes on him as Wymack finished up with his assignments. He couldn’t remember if the bruises were still there from Andrew’s rough handling in the locker room last week or from the night in Columbia. Either way, he hadn’t noticed them since he had been avoiding his reflection. He swallowed down the nausea building in his stomach and focused his attention on the task at hand.

Nicky approached him as the other foxes filed out onto the field. He looked nervous, his eyes flitting up to Neil’s and then back to the ground again before he gathered enough courage to speak. “We don’t have to, you know… If you don’t want to. I think Saturday night was enough.”

“You can turn it on and off like a tap, right?” Neil asked. Nicky nodded his affirmation. “Then Saturday night wasn’t enough.”

Nicky was about to protest, but Neil put his hand up to stop him. He nodded his head in the direction of the bleachers, the farthest ones away from the rest of the foxes, before stalking off towards them. Nicky followed hesitantly. They sat down and Neil peeled off one of his gloves, “we’re holding hands this time though.”

Nicky smiled in amusement, but quickly turned around to find his cousin sitting a few sets of bleachers down from them. Andrew’s attention was on Kevin, and he was far enough away that Nicky knew he couldn’t hear their conversation. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Neil, “I can’t believe how stupid I was. I’m so sorry, Neil.”

When Neil only stared back, he continued, growing more and more nervous as he went on. “I mean… I completely forgot about everything. About your powers, about what my powers could  _ do _ , I mean seriously, you think I would’ve learned my lesson after that one night...”

Neil tilted his head, “What night?”

Nicky sucked in a breath and looked back at Andrew, weighing his options. He looked back at Neil with a pained expression, “I never used to be able to control it, the pheromones. They would turn on and off sporadically. Sometimes I would go months without being even remotely attractive to anyone. Andrew, Aaron, and I used to work at Eden’s Twilight and it never really became an issue until one night well… it became an issue.”

Neil nodded, hoping it was encouraging enough for Nicky to move on with the story. He was curious enough about the monsters that he was willing to gain any amount of knowledge he could. Andrew had way too much of an upper hand in their game of truths. Thankfully, Nicky continued, “It was a couple months after their mom died, you know, the twin’s mom, Aunt Tilda,” Neil acted like he knew this tidbit of information, storing it away for later. “So we were all pretty raw, and it just kind of slipped. One moment I was serving drinks, the next all eyes were on me. I was cornered in the back alley, not unlike you were the other night. I was roughed up pretty bad, but Andrew got there just in time before something… worse happened.

“Anyways, Andrew was livid. He wouldn’t let up until Aaron grabbed him from behind. We hauled ass out of there at the first sign of police sirens. Luckily we had Aaron’s mutation on our side, or Andrew would’ve been caught for beating those guys half to death.”

Neil was following along up until Aaron came into the story, “Aaron’s mutation?”

“Oh, he can turn invisible. Not just himself y’know, like everything he touches. It’s pretty sweet!” Nicky gushed.

“You said he grabbed Andrew from behind. Wouldn’t he negate Aaron’s powers?”

Nicky laughed, “Yeah, he negated them right up until we had to make a getaway. Didn’t know who was touching him -- I never want to see two twins fight like that ever again. Seriously, Aaron’s face was messed up.” His expression shuttered, all signs of mirth gone as soon as he mentioned Andrew’s violence. 

Neil was still confused, “So Aaron turned both you  _ and  _ Andrew invisible.”

Nicky nodded, “Yep, I thought--” He seemed to understand then, his mouth forming a perfect  _ o  _ at Neil’s expense. “Andrew has complete control over his negation. He can turn it on and off when he needs to, like me. I thought you knew that?”

Neil shook his head, the whole story coming into place at once. He didn’t know what to do with this information, but it completely rattled him. Andrew had the upperhand no matter what Neil could do; the fact that at any moment he could just… turn it off. He could become as human as his father like the flick of a switch. It was something Neil could only dream of.

Nicky laughed nervously, “So should we um…” Neil was shaken out of his reverie, reverting his attention back to his partner for the morning. He held his hand out for Nicky to hold, stuffing down his current emotions and suppressing them as best he could.

Neil counted to ten in his head while they held hands, a small trickle of power flowing between them. He felt it surge up in his system and take residence in every one of his limbs, like his body was an empty house waiting for its tenant. Nicky let out a low whistle, looking him up and down once they released hands. “I didn’t notice it at the club, but that auburn hair of yours is absolutely gorgeous. Must’ve been really dark in there.”

Neil felt a wave of panic ripple through his body, a hot weight settling in the pit of his stomach. “What?” he choked out.

Nicky gestured to the top of Neil’s head, “My mutation brings out natural beauty. It like… takes everything you were born with and amplifies it. So yeah, natural redhead huh?” Neil reached up and carded a shaking hand through his curls, pulling down on them as a lump formed in his throat. He felt not one, but two pairs of eyes watching him intently. He looked up and found hazel staring back at him.

He focused on breathing steadily, bringing his attention back to Nicky and schooling his expression into indifference. “I… yeah. Natural redhead.”

“Red hair and blue eyes, you’re seriously breathtaking Neil. Why do you bother with the dye and contacts?”

_ Yeah, real breathtaking _ Neil thought as he took measured breaths. He didn’t bother giving Nicky a response, focusing instead on hiding behind the taller boy’s frame. Andrew had seen it, but the other foxes were too engrossed in their sparring to take notice. He wanted to keep it that way.

“Aww, it’s fading back!” Nicky sighed in disappointment, “Wanna give it another go? The tap thing might take awhile to get the hang of, but if it means being able to stare at you all practice I’m totally game.” 

Neil rolled his eyes and pulled his glove back on, “I better get to Abby’s office actually.” Nicky grumbled in disappointment, but didn’t protest when Neil gathered his things and left the bleachers. 

He caught Andrew’s eye while walking along the side of the court, both of them locked in a silent staring contest until Neil walked far enough away that it got weird. He could still feel Andrew’s gaze on him as he grabbed his duffel and headed for the nearest building. 

Abby was waiting for Neil in her office. She tutted softly as she lifted down the collar of his shirt, her finger skating over the bruises with the lightest of touches. Neil could feel her healing mutation seep into him as her fingertips found each little bruise.

“Do I want to know?” Abby asked, crossing her arms as she leaned up against the counter. Neil gave her a small smile and readjusted his collar.

“Small fight. I’m fine,” he said, ignoring the nurse’s eye roll as he hopped off the examination bed.

“Well, next time it happens make sure to find me right away. I spent my whole life with this mutation, it might as well be useful.” Neil nodded as he grabbed his things. He was about to leave before remembering to ask a question that’s been bothering him.

“You can’t become a teacher here without having a mutation right?” Abby looked up from her paperwork and nodded an affirmative. “Then Wymack is a mutant too?”

Abby smiled softly. Neil didn’t know if it was rude to ask about other people’s mutations, but everyone seemed to offer them up so willingly, with the exception of Wymack. “David doesn’t like using his mutation. He fears it.”

Neil thought about the man who had picked him up from the small town in Arizona, the man who was so intimidating that he occasionally reminded Neil of his father, the man that commandeered a group of misfits to do his bidding without even an ounce of disrespect. He couldn’t imagine a mutation so terrifying that a man like that would be scared of himself. 

“And yet he teaches mutant kids like yourself how to maintain and control their mutations, how not to be afraid of what they can do. Kind of a conundrum, isn’t he?” Abby continued, her smile turning fond. Neil nodded awkwardly and edged towards the door. He said a quick thanks to the nurse before slipping out, his head full of possibilities and conundrums.

The rest of the day went by slowly. Neil went back to the dorms and waited for the upperclassmen to finish practice, then proceeded to walk with them to the cafeteria for lunch. The monsters were nowhere in sight, preferring to sit at their own table far away from the others, and Allison and Seth had snuck off to “relearn each other after a weekend apart” (as Matt so eloquently put it.) Neil chose to eat bland cereal, and even he had to admit that it tasted like cardboard. Dan laughed at his reaction to the foul taste and offered up her half eaten BLT sandwich, which Neil declined in favor of finishing what he already had. It was a learned lesson from when he was on the run, always eat what was in front of you and never take food you didn’t know the origin of. 

They spent the afternoon in the dorm, playing videogames and flipping through channels on the TV. After about an hour of being uncomfortable on the floor at Matt’s feet, Dan gave in and with a huffed “oh fuck it” transformed into a basset hound.

It wasn’t so much as  _ transformed _ more as she had  _ morphed _ into a basset hound. Either way, Neil was so surprised at the casualty of it that he spat soda down his shirt front.

“Oh gross Neil!” Matt laughed, throwing a couple tissues his way, “It’s like you’ve never seen a girl turn into a dog before.”

Neil shot him a half-hearted glare while he wiped a handful of tissues across his front. 

“Okay, yeah, you  _ have  _ to borrow Dan’s powers tomorrow and fight me,” Matt said, reaching down to scratch in between Dan’s ears. Neil let out a laugh and had to agree, he was beyond excited to try out Dan’s mutation. 

Renee’s phone went off with a text message right then, a series of beeps that seemed to have Matt and Dan groaning in unison. (Dan’s groan was more of a hearty whine, but Neil understood all the same that they weren’t happy about whoever’s text alert that was.)

“Okay seriously, if he’s even remotely hurting you, you would tell us right?” Matt asked, his voice gaining an edge that Neil had never heard before.

Renee gave him a small smile, which was more of a default expression at this point. “He’s not hurting me. Andrew just needs my help with something.” Her text alert went off again, “Actually, he needs Neil’s help this time.”

Neil blinked at her in confusion, “For what?”

She hummed and looked at Matt, then Dan. Neil seemed to get the message, hoisting himself up from the couch and following her out into the hallway with minimal protest. Matt didn’t seem too happy about being left out of the conversation, but he let it go as soon as Dan the Dog licked and nuzzled against his leg.

“Have you been to the children’s wing in the next dorm over? Ages two to ten?”

Neil thought back to a couple nights before, when he found himself in a hallway full of construction paper and one very angry blonde. He nodded.

“You and I have certain mutations that are… exhaustive,” She explained, “Andrew may need your help because your mutation is more effective than mine. I can only suggest emotions, not physical afflictions.”

Neil nodded along, not really following her line of reasoning. She handed him her cell phone, placing it in his gloved palm and closing his fingers tight around it. “He’s in the six year old’s room. Text him if you can’t find it.”

As soon as she let go of Neil’s hand, he dropped the cell phone. It clattered on the ground, a resounding thump echoing off the walls and hardwood floors. They both stared down at it as Neil shook his head, “I don’t need it. I know where the room is,” He quickly deflected, bending down to grab the offending object and placing it back in Renee’s grasp.

She smiled sweetly at him, stuffing the cell phone in her back pocket. “It’s okay, Neil. I’ll be here if you get lost.” Neil breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t push the issue, and didn’t meet her eyes as she brushed past him to walk back to the dorm room. His head was full of sand. Sand, smoke, saltwater, and gasoline.

He took a couple measured breaths and refocused, grounding himself at the top of the stairs by pressing his back up against the banister. He didn’t know how long it took until he could finally move again, but the sun was nowhere in sight as he made his way across the skywalk to the neighboring children’s dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is hereby dubbed: "the chapter full of information i probably should've given you guys in previous chapters but i forgot im a terrible author im so sorry"
> 
> hopefully this clears up a few things???
> 
> Also i'm so bad at updating regularly... i have 0 excuses my friends


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